Saved a kitten's life!

This just happened about three hours ago, so I'm really sorry for the long and convoluted tale, I'm still shaken. I just wanted to share it.

Last warning: Long post ahead!

This morning I was getting ready to go out. I volunteer at a place that provides meals for the needy and we also help the children with school work. I teach them English and Art. Anyway, I was brushing my teeth, walking around the house and started hearing meowing.

We have two cats so I assumed it was mine and opened a door (that leads to a back room which is kind of a storage but it's not used much) and called my cat but she didn't come in. "Ok, it was some other cat" I thought and finished and left the house. This was about 11:45 a.m.

I was offered a small female cat at this volunteer place but I had to refuse because, as I said, I already have two cats and a dog and I felt that was enough.

I came home at 5 p.m. and heard the meowing again. I asked my grandpa but he said he didn't hear anything. Our cats were accounted for. The thing is... I kept hearing the meowing. I went outside to look on our roof and saw a big gray cat walking on it. "Ok, that's him making the noise. Case closed" I thought.

While I was talking my grandma's ear off about some silly stuff I heard it again. It was about 8 p.m. The power went out but we kept talking. I kept interrupting our conversation because I kept hearing a cat. I went to the back room and moved about some boxes and heard the cat but couldn't see it. I called my grandma in with a candle.

I was about to pull on a thick pipe to see if it was coming from there but realized the pipe was connected to the roof and floor. It was the drain that got rid of the rain water on the roof. I grabbed it and felt scratching inside

Grandpa said there was no way a cat fit in there because the pipe was covered on the roof end. I didn't care, I kept hearing the cat and told him we had to get it out. At one point my mom, sister and brother came in to contemplate the spectacle of my "I'm telling you, there's a cat in there!".

No one could hear the meowing so they thought I was just being crazy (some noises sound louder to me than to some people, though). They said we'd check tomorrow because the power was out. I started to panic "I'm not leaving it, I'm not leaving it alone!" so my grandpa went up the roof with a long piece of wood and shoved it in the drain. He felt something down there.

I made such a scandal that to shut me up he went to get a saw and cut the pipe (we were in almost darkness because of the power outage and we only had cell phone's lights) he looked inside and said "It's just and old sweater!" My heart sank to my feet.

My mom checked and said "It's just filth in there! Come check it out". I saw... filth, on something like an old sponge. I decided to poke the thing (I usually poke everything I come across) and the "sponge" was warm. It started moving... breathing! Then... it meowed!

I screamed "It's a cat! It's alive!". I stuck my hand down the pipe and grabbed a bit of the fur and pulled but it wouldn't come out. Then it hit me. This cat had been there since 11 am or so, could be even more because I really hadn't walked past that door earlier. It had been crying for help. Stuck, alone, afraid, helpless. It had heard me knocking on the pipe and cried a bit but by the time my family came in he was silent. Maybe it had given up. And they were set on checking tomorrow because it was dark. It would have died.

It would have died alone in there, because no one else could hear it.

I broke down and started crying "It's a cat! It's a kitty!". I was frustrated because I couldn't get it out. My mom decided to pull it harder, even if it meant hurting it a bit, to keep it from sliding down the drain (which goes underground and it would have been impossible to get out). And it was free.

Free at last! After almost 10 hours of being down a drain. It started running around, scared, it smelled horrible and was all dirty but to me it was BEAUTIFUL. It was ALIVE! We got to him on time!

My family was shocked, they couldn't believe it and apologized for not believing when I said there was a cat in there. I turn to my little brother and say "Hey, you always go around filming stuff, too bad you didn't get this!" to which he answered "Ah, but I did! 35 minutes of video". It's all dark because of the outage, you can see some faces lit by the phones but you can hear every reaction. Especially my crying when I broke down

But, after all that the kitten is safe, hiding behind my kitchen. We'll check it out tomorrow and see if he's hurt and take it to the vet if necessary but now, I'll let it calm down.

It was a long day for him/her after all

(Pics coming in tomorrow)

Thank you very much for reading.

Your a hero
Just dont post any pics of you blubbing, that would ruin it

reply to post by VoidHawk


Oh no. Only pics of the "old sweater"

I haven't decided on a name yet. I don't even know if it's a male or female. I only know one thing for sure. This cat is MINE. I'm not giving it up. I'm kind of scared some neighbor will come asking for it but hey, it was stuck down a drain for 10 hours and no one noticed

So... it's mine now. I'll love it and cuddle it and keep an eye on it. (And put a grill on the pipe so it won't happen again to some other poor kitty )

I had something very similar happen. I kept hearing what sounded like a bird flapping about but couldnt locate exactly where it was. Two days later as I opened the door to my bathroom something black shot across the room and hit me in the face
I jumped back and slammed the door shut. Thought about it for a few seconds and then very slowly opened the door. On the floor was a starling, it was barely alive. I think it had been stuck in the cavity where the waste pipe runs down through the house and eventually found a way out under the bath. Sadly it died, it had eaten half a bar of soap.

reply to post by Casandra


AW! What a nice story. Did you give it a bath, after all that stinky stuff all over it? I'll bet that gray cat on the roof was it's mommy.

reply to post by VoidHawk


That's really sad. I'm sorry.

I always complain about hearing louder but never again. It's been really helpful on several occasions. It makes me think how many of these situations could be overlooked by saying "It's just a branch" or "I only thought I heard it".

Your experience made my eyes tear up. I'm so glad that the curious kitty explored your drain pipe and not one belonging to someone else. Those funny furry beasties can find themselves in strange places.

You should celebrate your heroism with a nice hot cup of catnip tea before bed

reply to post by windword


That gray cat is a stray male that comes to pick up fights with our male cat. I always make sure to give him "the sign":

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/a8911c185e5a.jpg[/atsimg]

Also, I think the cat is a poltergeist or something. I hear him going about the kitchen but when I open the door he's gone.

I just spent like 10 minutes crouching ninja-style waiting to catch him leaving his hiding spot. My ankles hurt but I saw it! It's gray and white. It went for the trash can, looked over to me but I had my super special shield on "You can't see me. I'm not here. Go about your business"

We stared at each other... and then I accidentally moved and the cat hid again. Ah, but next time he'll get the sponge.

Cas you are a genuinely good person. I'm glad to hear your new friend is ok!

I have saved many kitties in my lifetime. It's an amazing feeling isn't it? Thank you for being its gaurdian angel!

What can I say ?






Cody

Awesome story . You should keep it .
I have many rescue stories,some of which involve horrible abuse ,so I will skip those,and just tell the latest one .

I had too many cats ,but I lost my baby to a bad infection he couldn't fight ,and my patriarch . I still miss them .
Asta and Callahan . Asta I had for 12 years. He had been badly abused ,and he was an oddity ,so if I hadn't taken him ,he would have ended up dead .
Because of the abuse he endured ,he has behavioral issues .
I have scars from some of the scratches he gave me when I first got him . Took him months to trust me .
He died of heart failure . I know I gave him a good life,but it crushed me .
He was my only red cat ,ever. More like gold . Gold color,dark gold markings ,gold eyes ,even his nose was gold .
Callahan was a rescue who came to me with a URI that wouldn't go away . He had been checked and given meds going on a year. Nothing worked . He tested negative for everything . His little body finally gave out. I lost them 3 months apart.
Callahan was an Egyptian Mau,and a little over one year old .
Sweet as a marshmallow .

I didn't want anymore cats ,but I found myself sobbing over both of them . I said I wish I could have my boys back .
I had no intention of adopting again .

Just before hurricane sandy hit ,I was out putting up Halloween decorations .
I kept hearing what sounded like a kitten crying somewhere in my neighbors yard .Maybe for two days,and I said,that's a kitten.
Couldnt find it .
So it was a few days later. I love Halloween .So I was in and out of the house .
Suddenly ,I hear a scccreeeach ,from outside my door .
I thought one of my other guys had gotten out.
So LOUD .
So I call who it sounds like .
Nothing .
I get a flashlight ,im out there looking ,SCREECH ! I look under my car ,and there's this tiny puff of white and red .
He looked barely 4 weeks.
I put out a can of catfood,and he ate the whole thing !
He was starving.
If I tried to touch him,he hissed at me. Finally he disappeared ,but I thought about him all night.
Next morning ,something told me to go look .So both Asta and Callahan are buried next to one another back there.
I went back,and this tiny puff of fur,was sitting on their graves.Like right in between .
My grape vines slowed him down,and I caught him !

He is now my little nuzzler.
He is red and white ,with gold eyes ,and he acts like Callahan . It's as if they meshed into one cat .

I also actually got a call from my neighbor about an injured cat,a few days after I found him . It was on the opposite side of the street . We chased thus poor thing for almost two hours ,and couldn't catch it .
It had an eye injury ,and seemed in pain . It looked so much like this little boy ,I know it was a sibling .
My vet said it looked like his mom had been out of the picture for a while. Maybe dead . That's why he was so under nourished and hungry .She worried he wouldn't make it at first .
My neighbor saw the other kitten another couple of times but then
Hurricane sandy hit . Maybe three days after we couldn't catch that second kitten . A fifty foot tree fell on my house . The winds were so scary .....
I snuggled with the new little boy .

The twin kitten was never seen again . It breaks my heart I couldn't catch it . We assume it perished in the hurricane .Many animals died ,so .....it was a miracle this little guy joined our family ,for both us,and him .

Let us know what the vet says .

Originally posted by VoidHawk
Sadly it died, it had eaten half a bar of soap.

Ahh.. mad thread.

Casandra, you deserve a hug for that story It's nice to read something uplifting once in a while. A saved kitty is always a good story!!

But Void, I could not help but chuckle at that line, despite the tragic outcome for poor mr Starling.



Ahh maybe Im exhausted and sleep deprived, but it just craics me up.. oO

reply to post by Casandra


Nice story. What a great thing to wake up too.

If I may suggest a name. Cardigan; like the sweater Cardy the Cat.

Thank you all very much for taking the time to read and reply

I just woke up, it's 10: 15 am. It rained last night. If we hadn't gotten the kitten out he would have drowned

I've been sick lately and last night I had a fever (since I got home, so all the freaking out about the cat was increased because I was feeling bad). I was in bed, trying to sleep with a pounding headache when I heard the rain. Given that the drain doesn't work anymore I had to put a bucket under it and replace it every ten minutes or so. This went on until 6 a.m.

The sneaky cat meowed every so often so I'd check to see if it was out but I only caught glimpses of his tail until the final time I checked (which must have been after three or four hours of this silly "hide and seek" game) I saw him sitting for a couple of minutes before he disappeared again.

I thought that was good enough so I went to bed. It was a restless sleep, I woke up several times drenched in sweat or due to a cough fit. Still worried about the kitten, though.

The nameless kitty gives me fever:

reply to post by PtolemyII


Thank you for sharing your story with me.

It's a great thing how people can love animals so much. They are more than just pets, they are friends.

All our cats were found, usually before a storm (the streets flood easily here) so this one is another of the "it would have drowned otherwise" cases. One was abandoned with a broken arm. He was amazing and loved cuddles. Another cat was the only survivor of the litter.

This cat will fit right in. I hope he can adapt. It's understandable that he (or she) is scared because of what happened so I'm giving it a bit of time to come out of the hiding spot on its own... but I wanna cuddle it, dammit!

That was a magic search-and-rescue story, Casandra. Thanks for being such a caring person.

I had a feral tom-cat show up at my place about five years ago. He was dirty, and smelled like he'd spent the past week sleeping in a dumpster. I named him Mr. Stinky.

A real tough guy, but as sweet as he is tough. Doesn't bully my cats, Mickey-Mouser, Dandelion, Shadow, or Lily.

In fact he protects them from the neighborhood bully cat. Even though he's sweet, trust me you don't want to mess with him.

I leave a window open 24/7 so that my cats have the freedom to come and go. Mr. Stinky is always welcome, but for some reason he prefers staying outdoors. I guess it's a wild thing.

Anyway seeing the circumstances of your introduction to this cat, it occurred to me that you might want to consider name, Stinky.

Just a thought.

This story did make me tear up! Stories such as this,helps give me faith in humanity

ATS has one of the tightest kitty communities I have ever been part of! My kitties and I,thank you very very much!! (btw Millicent is doing fine,and she is laying on my lap as I type this)

To TOP,if you take a pic of the kitties 'area' Im sure one of us can give you the sex of the kitty.

Now please take in consideration,that possibly the kitty you found,is missing his/her owner.May I suggest you contact your local animal control and at least put in a 'found kitty' report and browse craigslist for lost animals.

Yay, a kitty story with a happy ending!

I have a bunch of rescues, all with their own stories. Often it was just hearing a kitty crying for help, when nobody else heard it. Some are special needs, some have been abused, etc. I have 10 now (and babysitting my daughter's cat while she and her husband are overseas, for a grand total of 11).

People ask me if I'm nuts, and why did I take in so many cats? The thing is, I never went out looking for them. They just presented themselves to me in different ways, and I'm too much of a sucker to turn away a kitty in need. If that's the definition of crazy, then I never want to be sane.

Post pics of the little guy when you get him cleaned up and somewhat tamed!

I'm still waiting for it to come out.

Man, I feel like one of those paparazzi. "Mr. Cat! Mr. Cat! Turn this way!" *click* "Any comments on the whole ordeal? Anything you want to say? Mr. Cat!"



It screamed all night so it must be asleep now. What s/he doesn't know is that I took a nap today so I'm going to be able to stay up late. I'm going to be right there: