Factory Workers in Elkhart County, Indiana, Discover Wild Cat with Kittens in Need of Rescue. While attempting to secure the safety of the kittens, one of them panicked, dashed towards a drainage ditch, and leaped right in.
“The gutter guard was broken. The plastic drain pipe went down about a meter and then angled into the culvert pipe,” said Missy MacNeil, one of the rescuers. “The little kitten slid down and it was too slippery for it to climb back up.”
The workers reached out to Catsnip Etc, an animal rescue organization, after exhausting all options to rescue the stranded kitten.
Upon their arrival, the rescuers began employing various methods to determine which pipe within the labyrinth of underground tunnels the elusive kitten had fled into. Despite hours of meticulous searching with a camera, they were unable to locate the elusive kitten.
It was approaching midnight, and with darkness enveloping the area, they decided to regroup with fresh ideas in the morning. Several community members and Miller Drain Cleaning joined forces to free the kitten from the drain pipe the following day.
“We devised a plan to run water through the pipe she jumped into and try to trace the path of the water to figure out where it was.” The plan worked, and they were able to locate the manhole that connected to the intriguing pipe. “It was very close to the spot where she fell, and we could never find it.”
Rescuing the kitten would require a courageous individual, unafraid of tight spaces, willing to navigate through a narrow, dirty pipe containing about an inch of standing water.
Upon seeing the plea for help on social media, Ashley volunteered to take on the mission. “She arrived at the address, went down the hatch, and never looked back,” said Missy.
The lonely kitten spotted Ashley approaching and went straight to her. “No one can imagine the sense of relief we all felt when Ashley shouted that she had pulled the kitten out.”
The baby was immediately wrapped in a towel as it was wet, dirty, and cold. They quickly took the little cat home and started warming it up with a heating pad and warm fluids (it was severely dehydrated).
“We gave her some Karo syrup for her low blood sugar and eventually fed her when she was warm enough,” shared Missy.
In the meantime, the rescuers were able to place the rest of the cat family into a foster home, ensuring no one was left behind. As the lone kitten revived, they reunited it with its mother and siblings.
“She ran straight to her family, nuzzling against her mother’s chin.”
The cat was half the size of some of its littermates. Excited to be back with its team, it snuggled up to its mother, enjoying some pampering.
It took more than a day to rescue the little kitten, but now the baby can enjoy life with its mother and siblings.