After finding themselves snared under a toilet, two naughty kittens required the fire department’s assistance to be freed.
On Sunday evening, Flo, a black kitten, and River, a ginger tabby, decided to go on a little exploratory trip in their Aldham Avenue house. The residence is in Witham, a small town in the eastern English county of Essex.
A tricky situation
All was going well until the nineteen-weeks-old kittens found themselves in an embarrassing situation. Somehow, both moggies ended up trapped behind the toilet. Not exactly how Flo and River pictured their afternoon going.
How did they get there? The young cats had devised a method to squeeze their tiny frames through a narrow opening in the wall located behind the toilet.
If it seemed like a good idea at first, the kitties were now regretting their boldness.
Initially, their owner discovered the cats in the bathroom and tried to free them of their trap. After many unsuccessful attempts, it became clear that Flo and River would need a professional extraction team.
The Fire department to the rescue
Fortunately, the owner reached the local emergency services. Following his plea, the urban search crew from Essex Fire and Rescue was able to help.
Before the rescue team could set the two cats free, they had to use specialized technology. The firefighters utilized a digital camera with a snake’s eye view to locate the pusses in the tight space where the animals were confined.
Lee Hurst, manager of the station, was quoted as saying:
” We’ve been incredibly busy over the last week or so, but we’re still pleased to be able to help at incidents like this.”
According to BBC, Hurst saw the cats’ mishap as a terrific opportunity to employ some of the technological equipment the Urban Search and Rescue Teams use when responding to difficult occurrences like this one.
The Urban Search and Rescue Team managed to release Flo and River without harm, the cheeky kitties got a good scare but sustained no injuries.
The extraction was performed with surgical precision to the owner’s relief, hence the bathroom and the house had little damage.
Lee Hurst assured in his interview:
“Our firefighters did well to firstly locate both River and Flo in the wall cavity, then safely release them with minimal damage to the property.”
The cats’ release is a satisfying conclusion for all parties involved in this funny episode. Hopefully, Flo and River have learned their lesson and will pick a less stressful adventure next time.