When an Albany NY resident heard mews at an abandoned house where he feeds cats, and where one cat had been missing for a few days, he made sure that every effort was made to save a kitten trapped underground in a drain pipe. The newly named Drano has been taken into rescue care and according to his rescuer it’s his troubles that have now gone down the drain.
As Bill Suntheimer’s block in Albany’s West Hill neighborhood has changed to include both well kept and derelict properties he has taken it upon himself to watch out for the abandoned house and yard at 529 Second St. Watching the property has come to include feeding the stray cats who congregate there so, when he came by on Sunday and heard mewing from an unseen cat, he knew what had become of a kitten he had noticed to be missing on Thursday and set to work locating and finding help for the distressed creature.
He determined that the cat was stuck in a pvc drainpipe that went down the wall of the burnt out house, extending 4 feet underground and then making a right angle turn taking it under the deck. Mr. Suntheimer’s efforts to lure the cat out didn’t succeed so he called city officials, who reportedly were not initially interested. Meanwhile, he dropped bits of food down the pipe to try to sustain the little prisoner. He then reached Gigi Giorgio of Schenechtady’s Kitten Angels Cat Rescue , who came to help. Ms. Giorgio tried a long pole ith a glue trap but the kitten remained trapped out of reach.
Finally Police and public works personnel arrived but were not initially friendly to the attempt. Mr Suntheimer says he was threatened with tresspassing charges at first. The officers and public works crew members came on board, though, and between everyone involved the kitten was found and rescued after great effort.
City officials called in a backhoe and began digging, and according to Albany Police Spokesman James Miller crews worked on the rescue from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday before finally reaching the kitten after digging the hole and cutting away part of the house’s decking. The kitten is said to have emerged shaken but otherwise unharmed.
The little object of the large scale effort, currently called Drano, is in the care of Kitten Angels Cat Rescue and may be put up for adoption.
Mr. Suntheimer says he does not consider himself a cat person but between his feeding of the strays and his dedication to Drano’s rescue he is a real mensch and a friend to them, indeed.
The video below from the Albany Times Union shows a large concrete block being removed to expose the underground pipe in order to get to the kitten.
Story and photo source, Times Union
YAY!!!!
I’d say a NICER name would be Lucky~! What a cute lil’ kitten, so tiny, Thanking the Lord for his angel of helpers~! Starting with the gentleman that feeds them~! :*) God bless them all indeed~!
Thank goodness they didn’t take the initial “no” for an answer and kept digging! But yeah, kitty needs a better name than Drano! Awesome job, rescuers. 🙂
I like “Miracle” for a better name 🙂
Thank you, Gigi, for taking the time to fill us in on just what went on there. Our story was derived from the TU and a lot was left unexplained.
I understand that the newspaper needed to maintain a focus and not get embroiled in conflict with the county or the city over the matter.
Thanks, also, for your dedication to saving this and other cats.
If you don’t mind I will either edit your information into the story or post a separate note with it. Is that ok?
what a bunch of losers except for the fellows who actually worked and got the baby out. LOSERS!!!!!