In Sydney Australia, an eight-week-old kitten has been rescued from a storm drain where she was trapped for five days.
The long rescue mission was undertaken by those living near Carlton Street, where the kitten had become trapped, despite heavy rain and slow progress they refused to give up on the little kitten.
Trapped
As reported by The Daily Mail, Tashi Gye who is local to the area spotted a tortoiseshell kitten become spooked by nearby seagulls and dash into the street’s storm drain.
Seeing dark clouds forming and knowing that heavy rain was predicted to be on its way, Gye feared that the kitten could drown in the storm drain. She spent almost an hour in front of the drain’s opening trying to coax the kitty to safety.
Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain, as the terrified kitten did not budge, Gye realized that she was going to need reinforcements in order to save the trapped kitty.
A call to action
Tashi Gye took to social media to find help for her rescue mission, she posted about the little kitten’s plight on her local community’s Facebook group.
Her plea for help was immediately answered as members of the community came forward to offer their assistance in freeing the trapped kitten.
The would-be heroes tried everything to coax the kitten from the drain; they put down food, tried to reach within the small drain and one petite rescuer even tried to fit their upper body into the drain to save the kitten.
Unfortunately, their rescue attempts seemed to frighten the kitten and cause her to back further into the unforgiving drain that was gushing with constantly flowing water.
Firefighters to the rescue
Realizing that their efforts were not helping the kitten, Tashi Gye and the other rescuers reached out to their local fire department for help.
While waiting for reinforcements, they dropped food into the drain for the kitten and reassured the trapped little feline that they were near and would not leave her.
Finally, after spending five days confined to the dangerous storm drain, the kitten was freed by firefighters who used a trap baited with food to wince the kitty out of the drain.
A new life for Carlton
Once she was freed, the frightened but unharmed kitten was named Carlton by her rescuers, after the street where her ordeal took place.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, Tashi Gye explained that the kitten’s origins were still unknown, saying:
“It is still a mystery where she came from, she doesn’t look like a stray, but no one has claimed a missing kitten either. She is pretty tough, though.”
Carlton has now been given a clean bill of health by the vet, and she is currently receiving much love and care from one of her rescuers who has now become her foster mom.
As she was not microchipped, Carlton will be given a new forever home soon if no one comes forward to claim the brave kitten.