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Staff from Southern Pines Animal Shelter in Hattiesburg, MS saved the day for a little kitten trapped down a drain and a Good Samaritan and others who’d been trying to get her rescued for days.
Southern Pines staff was called out on Tuesday, October 15 to rescue a small kitten trapped in a storm drain at Turtle Creek Mall
The shelter says: “Another great save by Southern Pines staff, along with the help of the staff at Turtle Creek Mall and the Good Samaritan who had spent several days trying to rescue a small kitten out of a deep storm drain.
“The kitten somehow got caught in a storm drain that was 8 feet deep in a pipe with less than 2 feet diameter.
“When Southern Pines staffer, Katherine got the call from the Good Samaritan that was trying to save her, she quickly put together a rescue effort and brought along a “kitty decoy” in the form of one of our shelter kittens, thinking that the sound might draw the trapped kitten out.
“After a drop down into the drain and several tense moments of waiting and watching, Southern Pines staffer, Stephen, was able to lift the scared and filthy kitty to safety!
“Stormy is now in the good hands of the wonderful woman who made the call that saved her. Great team effort and another life saved!”
A story in yesterday’s Hattiesburg American tells the rest of the story, telling of the difficulty that Good Samaritans had getting someone to help.
Turtle Creek security guard Dina Yeager first heard the kitten’s cries on Sunday October 13 and traced them to the drain, behind Dillard’s and Chuck E. Cheese. It would later be revealed that people had been calling animal control about the cries for two days before that.
When Yeager’s calls to Hattiesburg Animal Control didn’t go anywhere she contacted Ashley Bahm, a volunteer for Hub City Humane Society. Bahm, in turn, made calls to the fire department and animal control that did not bring help.
“Animal Control said the situation was not considered an emergency,” said Bahm, “and the fire department said they ‘didn’t do that’.”
According to Bahm, Animal Control said they assumed the kitten was feral and they wouldn’t come because it would be euthanized at the shelter based on policy guidelines.
The mall gave permission for some roofers working on the building to pitch in and move the heavy iron grate covering the drain, which they did. The roofers tried capturing the kitten but had no luck, but it was a great help having access to the underground drain. The trap shown below was placed in the bottom of the drain, near the pipes where the kitten had run.
By Monday evening, the kitten was still in the drain system, so a worried Yeager called a friend to borrow a second trap and brought in a truck to remove the grate from a second, nearby, drain, in order to place the second trap down there.
Tuesday morning, the 15th, saw the new trap sprung but no kitten inside, and rain in the forecast for Wednesday.
A call made to Southern Pines Animal Shelter that day finally brought about a happy resolution for the kitten and everyone trying to help, especially Ms. Yeager, who had expended so much effort on its behalf.
Stephen Wheeler, seen in the photos here, arrived on the scene with a kitten he planned to use as bait. After a lot of waiting on Stephen’s part, the trapped kitten finally came out to investigate the new kitten, and he was able to make the rescue.
The kitten has been named Stormy. Following a trip to the vet, she went into foster care with Ms. Yeager.
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– Southern Pines Animal Shelter manager Katherine Sammon.
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– Southern Pines Animal Shelter manager Katherine Sammon.
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– Southern Pines Animal Shelter manager Katherine Sammon.
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– Southern Pines Animal Shelter manager Katherine Sammon.
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– Southern Pines Animal Shelter manager Katherine Sammon.
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