This is the story of a tiny bundle of kitten who spent a scary weekend trapped in a storm drain in Cornelius, Oregon in late May. It’s believed the poor little tuxie baby became trapped on a Friday. The sad part here is that the little feline wasn’t rescued until the following Monday, May 23. That’s when a passerby notified the Cornelius Fire Department about the kitten’s cries. Those cries were loud enough, in fact, to be heard from 30 feet away, the firefighters say.
We can’t imagine how frightened he must have been. When the firefighters arrived they understood they had no time to waste. First off, they removed the grate covering the drain. Next, someone grabbed a ladder to climb down and “reach the scared and hungry kitty,” KOIN5 reports.
Like A Scene Out Of “The Lion King.”
Images via Facebook/Cornelius Fire Department – Oregon
“We performed a different rescue this morning, a local resident had called in saying a kitten was stuck in a storm drain since Friday and had been there since Friday.
“We arrived and could hear the cries of the kitten from 30 feet away. The kitten was stuck down a six foot drainage swale clean out.”
“Our firefighters were able to remove the grate and used an attic ladder to get down to the scared and hungry kitty,” the department reported on its Facebook page. “Student Volunteer firefighter Wyatt raised up the kitten, like it was Simba and handed it off to the other firefighters.”
Image: Facebook/SOS Lost Pet Rescue NW, Inc.
Welcome, Cornelius!
Then this adorable black-and-white ball of fluff soon found himself in the very capable hands of Jenny Sawyer, who fosters kittens through Northwest Animal Companions. He was dubbed “Cornelius,” which is pretty fitting, don’t you think? But Cornelius also needed a trip to the vet. He had an abscess on one little paw that a previous vet had treated, Jenny says. His poor little dew claw had been ripped out and it doesn’t look like it’s going to grow back. She notes this hasn’t slowed him down in the slightest.
Cornelius is now about two months old but he’ll need another 3 to 4 weeks before he’ll be ready for adoption.
“He will need to be big enough for a neuter,” Jenny added.
Daphne is one of Cornelius’s adorable buddies.
But for now, Cornelius is learning all about being a kitten and he currently has four other little buddies from another litter to hang out with. He’s a couple of weeks younger than Agatha, Daphne, Emerson, and Bennett but everyone gets along great.
The gang is chillin’ out.
Cornelius and Agatha.
Cornelius Is 100% Lovable.
This little guy has the cutest stripey nose and there’s nothing he seems to love more than snuggling, even though he’s still a playful charmer.
“Cornelius is a bit more mellow than the other kittens and is the first to find someone’s lap for naptime,” Jenny says. Even so, he “loves to wrestle and play with the other kittens.”
Agatha is such a cutie!
Sweet little Bennett.
This little sweet and beautiful tuxedo boy is lucky to be in Jenny’s care. She became a kitten foster mom in 2014, and she finds taking care of these precious babies very rewarding.
Little Emerson.
“I have lost count of how many kittens we have had in our home,” she says. “What we love the most is having ongoing kittens to play and snuggle with. Also, knowing I am helping kittens to find their forever home and to be able to do that from our home.”
People like Jenny and other foster moms, and those of us at Cole and Marmalade, understand that kittens have a sweetness. They are all so adorable and they grow into beautiful adult kitties that fill our lives with love and happiness. Those of us who love cats are fortunate people indeed.
