A young ginger tabby was extremely lucky to be discovered after it became trapped, 5 feet down at the bottom of a fire hydrant well!
Photo: YouTube Screenshot
With 24,000 hydrants in Louisville, KY, two water company employees showed up to service a damaged hydrant on Tuesday, expecting nothing out of the norm.
Chad Harper and Jimmy Stone said they’ve found many strange objects lost in the sewer system throughout the years they’ve been working for the Louisville Water Company, but this was a first. Normally they would expect children’s toys or maybe reptiles, not a kitten!
It is not known how the young kitten became trapped. With vehicles hitting hydrants almost daily, the odds that the feline fell into the damaged hydrant hole seem the likely scenario. As they are able to service the hydrants quickly, getting to site the same day the damage was done, hopefully the kitten had only been trapped a short while.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot
Metro Animal Services received the call from the shocked workers as soon as they peered into the hole of the well and saw the frightened, wet kitten. Being only about 10 inches in diameter, the hydrants tight fit and depth meant Harper and Stone would need help from professionals to pull the kitten to safety.
Animal Control Officer Sgt. Sabatini arrived at the site with a special tool called a catch pole or snare. After only about 10 minutes, he was able to “fish out” the kitten. Thankfully the kitten didn’t have much room to avoid capture and is now safely out of harms’ way. The feisty feline did have quite a hissy “cattitude”, but we’ll considering that a strong, fighting will to survive!
According to Communications Specialist Teeya Barnes with animal services, a trip to the veterinarian confirmed there were no unseen injuries to the ginger male. He is approximately 4 months old and except for being a bit underweight, he is healthy. The young boy will stay with the Louisville Metro Animals Services for 5 days to see if an owner comes forward and to monitor his health. If no owner claims him, he will be neutered and be put up for adoption.
Everyone involved was very relieved and happy the rescue went as smooth as it did for the kitten.
Photo: wave3.com – Louisville Water Company & Metro Animal Services rescue team
The workers are hoping that due to the circumstances of the rescue, the kitten will be named “Tapper” for the historical Louisville pure tap water.
According to their Facebook page, in 2011 the Louisville Water Company became the first in the world to combine a tunnel and well system as a source for drinking water. The project is named the “best civil engineering project in the world”.
Thankfully for this kitten, the well will be his source to a new life.
I would be unhappy having fallen into a little pipe and then getting snared for sure. Every animal that I’ve snared or seen snared has not been very happy. They are not in control at all. Gratefully they are usually released once they are in a safe place and can calm down. Hopefully this kitty calmed and realized that he was in a much safer position. I’m grateful he was found and rescued safely thanks to the water department workers and the animal rescue services worker. May this kittys future be much brighter.