Rescue
Man hears cries coming from drain pipe. Cries stop and man forced to give kitten CPR
Rescuers grew concerned when the tiny kitten stopped crying.
Cherie Gozon
04.29.22

Rescuing an animal can sometimes be like saving humans.

Pexels - International Fund for Animal Welfare
Source:
Pexels - International Fund for Animal Welfare

People respond to animal emergencies, too, and there are appropriate offices or organizations for that. Experts also have basic training on how to help wounded or sick rescued animals.

Doing CPR is one of the basic emergency procedures we can do in saving animals.

Pexels - International Fund for Animal Welfare
Source:
Pexels - International Fund for Animal Welfare

While it is not exactly the same as doing it with humans, administering CPR to an animal is under the same tenet: blowing in and circulating air to their respiratory passages. This includes giving chest compressions and rescue breaths.

It is one of the most life-saving procedures, even for animals.

Unsplash - little plant
Source:
Unsplash - little plant

There are many possibilities that a stray would need some help, especially if they were trapped for too long. It is incredible how we all thought that CPR was for humans, but it can save an animal, too.

This man heard a kitten crying and was hell-bent on finding where it was.

YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3

He discovered that a kitten was stuck in a drainpipe, and it was pleading for help. The haunting cries of the scared kitty echoed from way below.

He called 911 and was forwarded to the fire department.

YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3

However, the fire department’s number didn’t work when he tried to call it. He desperately needed some help, so he looked for other organizations that could help him.

Luckily, a local animal rescue volunteer organization came to the rescue.

YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3

Kamm’s Cat Guardians is a TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) community action group who advocates and educates the residents on how to treat stray and feral cats. They came to the rescue when this man told them the whole kitten situation.

The kitten was trapped eight feet down a four-inch pipe.

YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3

It was dark inside, with little room to move and breathe. The rescuers slowly placed a smaller, narrower pipe with a rope at one end inside the drainpipe. However, this didn’t seem to work.

One of the volunteers tried to reconfigure their makeshift trap so they could pull the kitten out.

YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3

Time was of the essence since they couldn’t hear the kitten’s cries anymore. They kept telling the kitten: “Come on! Stay with me, please!” asking the little one to hold on because they were doing their best to rescue her.

At least they could pull the kitten out – but it wasn’t breathing anymore!

YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3

Then, one of them performed CPR on the poor kitten, and they drove to the nearby veterinary clinic. Thanks to the volunteers’ quick action and thinking, they were able to save the kitten.

They shared this news on their Facebook page.

YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - WKYC Channel 3

They named the kitten Matilda, and they said that she started crying when they treated her in the clinic. It was music to their ears. Matilda is now in foster care.

Unfortunately, Matilda wasn’t the only kitten who needed help that day.

Kamm’s Cat Guardians also responded to reports of three other kittens stuck in pipes, but they didn’t make it out alive. Despite the sad news, they praised their volunteers, who responded to all their emergencies. They also reminded people of one important lesson that day.

“Please, cover any open drainpipes in your yard,” they said on their post.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Advertisement