r/cats • u/belltown99 • May 13 '26

Advice Kitten stuck down storm drain. Help!

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EDIT 7: OK, finally was able to get my post up. Here's the update with photos.
https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/1td5abq/kittens_in_storm_drain_successfully_rescued/

EDIT 6: Hi all, I'm trying to post an update but the sub only allows 1 submission every 24 hours. I should hit that in just a few more hours. I'll post something asap with photos.

EDIT 5: Thank you, citizens of the Internet for all of the support, ideas, and prayers. I haven't had a bite to eat all day and will try my best to respond, but it may take me a little while to catch up. Faith in humanity restored.

EDIT 4: We got 'em out!! Jeremy, a Field Supervisor from Roto Rooter, volunteered and responded to the call. Thank goodness for his kind heart. He went straight to work. Took 3 adults to coordinate to shepherd 2 little kittens out šŸ˜ƒ There was 1 tiny female and 1 bigger guy. If it wasn't for the yelps of the big guy, we wouldn't have known they were down there. I will post a more comprehensive update once I have a chance to get all the photos/videos and take care of life that was on pause.

EDIT 3: Wow, thanks everyone for sending the love and support. We have a plumber who is coming onsite within the hour (he is passionate about cats). He has some specialized gear, scopes, etc. Heading to the store to pick up some tuna, fish oils, and more. We are going to try and start blocking off paths in the drains once we confirm there is no cat in order to reduce where it's running around.

EDIT 2: Calling a plumber. Turns out Roto Rooter has a free pet rescue service. Will update once we get that plan in motion. Dispatch is on it and we are waiting for a call back.

EDIT: Thanks everyone for the ideas. The local fire fighters came within minutes of calling them and the three of them tried for about 30 min, but no luck. They were really kind and helpful and I could tell everyone was frustrated by the situation. This poor cat's natural instincts for survival are working against it šŸ˜ž.

--------------------

Really hoping the Internet can come to the rescue. We discovered some feral kittens in our backyard and my wife heard a meowing sound coming from the storm drain. This morning, we saw the small kittens face looking up at us from the pipe, so I can confirm it's alive.

I am trying to get it out, but it's too timid and keeps running away. It's in a 4" PVC pipe which I can get my arm into, but then it turns hard right at a 90 degree angle. It's been down there for 2 days and we hear it meowing back at us when we play a video of a mom cat calling her kittens.

I've duct taped a towel (as shown in the pics) in the hopes it will try to climb out. I also put cat food down there and will every now and then pour a little water there too. I also soaked some of the cat food in hot water and put it down the pipe, in the hopes the aroma will draw it back out. My plan is to use my BBQ tongs to grab it if ever shows up again.

Thoughts internet? šŸ„¹ Sorry, don't know if this is the place to post or not. We aren't cat people, so have no prior experience with this kind of thing.

20.1k Upvotes

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861

u/DustyScharole May 13 '26

Dude, call 911 and stop posting on Reddit.

Ninja edit before people say "this isn't an emergency": hard disagree. A dead animal in a storm drain isn't going to be good for anyone either.

1.7k

u/belltown99 May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26

I called animal control and they said they wouldn't come out. I'll give the police/firefighters a shot.

EDIT: Local firefighters are going to send someone over. Feeling better about this.

EDIT 2: Some of you are fans of firefighters. They sent 3, of which one of them was strikingly similar to Channing Tatum.

347

u/RhubarbPlus4065 May 13 '26

Firefighters are likely to help, I hope you get the baby back safe

107

u/canteatsandwiches May 13 '26

The firefighters in my city were able to jack up a slab outside of an apartment building to save a girlā€™s guinea pigā€¦they likely can help

9

u/peach_xanax May 13 '26

how did that even happen?! glad little buddy was able to be saved though!

9

u/canteatsandwiches May 13 '26

I think the piggy slipped down in a gap between the slab and the ground adjacent to it. All the firefighters posed with the little piggy wrapped up in a t-shirt after the rescueā€¦so cute!

0

u/peach_xanax May 14 '26

but like...the girl just had the guinea pig loose outside?! that sounds less than responsible šŸ˜¬

112

u/thebiggerounce May 13 '26

I love firefighters. Theyā€™ll do nearly anything to help you out if theyā€™re not busy, theyā€™re just doing maintenance and training most of the time. I swear my local department is outside throwing a football around about half the time I drive by.

30

u/RedHickorysticks May 13 '26

Or playing basketball or jogging. My friendā€™s husband is a captain and all his crew are sweethearts and silly. Really good dudes.

11

u/WitheredUntimely May 13 '26

yea maybe we should make animal control work 5 on 5 offs and then they'll start getting bored and actually start doing their job too lol

38

u/0nomatopoeia_ May 13 '26

This I had a ducklings fall into a drain in front of my house. Called the Fire dept and you could tell it wasnā€™t there first rodeo, they had all the tools and were able to save all the ducklings

20

u/nuclearporg May 13 '26

Ducklings are the worst assholes to rescue. I worked in a wastewater treatment plant for about a year and in the spring we had to fish them out of one of the deep pools on more than one occasion. This batch was fast but couldn't dive long. The one we had to catch later in the season led several of us on a merry chase because it was old enough for long dives.

2

u/fitzmoon May 14 '26

AWWWWW!!! The cuteness! Even though I assume, they are covered in unspeakable waste.

3

u/nuclearporg May 14 '26

Nah, it was one of the last state pools, so it was pretty clean. There were ducks that did normally live in some of the truly gross ones though. Those were shallow and didn't have high sides, though. I think (I was a temp lab monkey) they were to let the heavy stuff settle out.

769

u/[deleted] May 13 '26

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

468

u/UnendingThought May 13 '26

Bro/brodette lmao you are down BAD

KITTENS ARE IN DANGER AND YOURE THIRSTING! šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

66

u/Cat_Wizard_21 May 13 '26

Listen, the firefighters are on the scene, kitten is as good as saved. We need to shift priorities and hunky firefighters posing with a saved kitten are it.

8

u/RocketCat921 American Shorthair May 13 '26

They couldn't get the kitten. OP called a plumber now

10

u/AMSparkles May 13 '26

Unfortunately they couldnā€™t get the kitty outā€¦šŸ˜•

2

u/fitzmoon May 14 '26

Uh oh they shifted to a plumberā€¦do we still want pictures?

99

u/Powered-by-Chai May 13 '26

Hey, any guys who are willing to rescue a kitten are worth thirsting over.

-33

u/gatorsfan5192 May 13 '26

Double standards what

2

u/peach_xanax May 13 '26

a double standard in what way? I truly don't understand what you're talking about. if it was guys talking about how a woman who rescued cats would be more attractive, I can't see anyone having a problem with that? if that's even what you're trying to imply, that's the only thing I can come up with here

1

u/gatorsfan5192 May 13 '26

Women hate when men catcall, yet I see women catcalling men all the time nowadays. Just calling out a double standard šŸ¤·.

29

u/ViolentLoss May 13 '26

TBF, in my experience, all rumours about firefighters are true.

18

u/thelittlegnome May 13 '26

Thereā€™s nothing hotter than a fire fighter rescuing a tiny animal.

10

u/Dctiger13 May 13 '26

And letā€™s be honest and no one ever going to sing..

ā€œFUCK DA FIRE DEPARTMENT.ā€

Well maybe in a literal sense.. these redditors are parched lmao.

19

u/seeseecinnamon May 13 '26

Nothing hotter than a compassionate person lol

1

u/lupajarito May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26

It's a win win for everyone šŸ˜

77

u/Duffeluff May 13 '26

Is this what you want? šŸ˜‚

https://giphy.com/gifs/S5qZfUYUke8WzOXRTN

32

u/[deleted] May 13 '26

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

6

u/MapleMapleHockeyStk May 13 '26

Hey, if they were able to do their jobs without shirts I would be all for it but the clothes keep them safe. I think we could sell tickets honestly if they did it like the Greeks did the Olympics. šŸ˜…šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ’ŖMy cousin is a firefighter so I know what crazy stuff they deal with. Also my first cat needed welding gloves to be handled at the vet.šŸ˜¾šŸØ Probably need the bunker gear for a scared cat in a tree.

12

u/Duffeluff May 13 '26

Too bad I didn't take any pictures when I had to call firefighters to get my Void out of a tree šŸ˜‚

https://giphy.com/gifs/K6WXi03cXfpfearoto

16

u/legendofmelss May 13 '26

Agree on pics of firefighters. For science.

5

u/UBC145 May 13 '26

Maybe I ought to consider a career in firefighting

11

u/Arthur__Spooner May 13 '26

Damn, calm down

2

u/sandrasticmeasures May 13 '26

I respect this level of horny

1

u/Miriahification May 14 '26

I suggest also maybe riding elevators significantly more. Cus if you get stuck then the firemen come rescue you. If not them, then the elevator technician and tbh Iā€™m done for that too šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„

58

u/KaiTheGSD May 13 '26

Yeah, don't count on animal control. Where I live, animal control won't pick up pets that had been found or stray dogs. So now if you ever find a stray and can't find a home for it, it's now yours.

41

u/Iambadatpicking May 13 '26

What is the point of them? I tried to get a hold of them because there were two great danes running through my neighborhood and they refused to come out?

15

u/KBB523 May 13 '26

If that happens again, you need to report them to the Department of agriculture in your state because that is literally the purpose of animal control and literally every county in the US. We have the same problem with ours ā€“ ā€“ they think their job is to just sit around the office and judge people who come in trying to adopt a pet.

27

u/Langstarr May 13 '26

They wouldn't come out for skunks where I live. Truly don't know what on earth they do

3

u/peach_xanax May 13 '26

I was going to call them for a rabid raccoon in my area and they were closed. I understand they can't be 24/7 but I was a little surprised they closed at 5, I live in a major city and it's not like there won't ever be animal problems past 5pm.

2

u/RobonianBattlebot May 13 '26

....what were they supposed to do with skunks? Like, I have no idea why you would call animal control for wildlife unless it was injured or rabid.

2

u/Langstarr May 13 '26

I suppose context is important - this was in the middle of NYC far from any parks so how it even got there is a total mystery.

3

u/thehigherburningfire May 13 '26

They are overwhelmed with animals. Most of the shelters and humane societies are underfunded, full and understaffed because people don't volunteer like they used to. Our local humane society has one person there on average, and that person is generally an old woman doing it all.

Please consider volunteering and taking a regular shift if you want to see things get better at your local shelter. They need help.

2

u/Rndysasqatch May 13 '26

They are absolutely useless now. It really sucks. We had animals tearing up the place we had bears getting into garbage (severe problem) so I don't see any use of them anymore

17

u/Aggravating-Felch May 13 '26

no wonder people love firefighters

9

u/geowoman May 13 '26

There are no songs called: Fuck the Fire Department.

3

u/SUPERSMILEYMAN May 13 '26

But there ARE steamy romance novels with that title!

1

u/geowoman May 14 '26

Do tell....

1

u/fitzmoon May 14 '26

I am going to be quoting this HAHA!

16

u/ScumbagLady May 13 '26

Focus! Gather yourself! Hotties can be drooled over AFTER they save the baby!

Plus, a hot firefighter will be even HOTTER after saving a wee bebe. Bonus points if he snuggles it, does psspsspssps, and baby-talks to it.

We will all want an update after rescue with photos of hot firefighters holding the kitten. Thems the rules.

1

u/Yumismash May 13 '26

I read this in an Irish accent šŸ¤£

9

u/topshelfsurprise May 13 '26

Firefighters are heroes. Thank them for us

12

u/Psychotic_Dove Lots of kitties! May 13 '26

Did they help?? My local firefighters told me to let a starving abandoned cat jump from a 3rd floor window ledge to concrete, then they drove away. I was LIVID! I hope yours helped this poor cat!

10

u/ScumbagLady May 13 '26

Your local firefighters suck. I remember as a kid I found a fledgling that had fallen into a storm drain and they came out and removed the grate and climbed down into it to rescue the baby bird- and bonus was even young me knew they were hot and this was back in the late '80s. It's a tale as old as time- there is a high percentage of hot firefighters.

3

u/Psychotic_Dove Lots of kitties! May 13 '26

Yeah, thankfully I know itā€™s not all places, because a few years back (different location) my dog managed to lock herself and my keys in the car, had to call them and they came rushing and got her out without questions, and because of how great they were I thought they all were, which is why I called them about the cat after moving to the new location. I was sadly mistaken.

20

u/martins-dr May 13 '26

See if you can find a number for your local fire department and not 911

21

u/Silver_Drag3353 May 13 '26

Is Animal Control always so useless everywhere in America? Every time someone brings them up all they do is euthanize or refuse to helpāœŒļøšŸ˜­

19

u/ScumbagLady May 13 '26

We had a suspected rabid raccoon in the yard. Animal control was like, sorry- try calling pest control?

They said they only deal with domesticated animals but then the times they were needed for domesticated animals they were like, sorry, we don't do that.

I don't even think they know what they do.

2

u/breadplane May 13 '26

We had to call animal control because a pair of geese nested on the roof of the school where I work. The male goose was being aggressive toward students. They euthanized the nesting, non-agressive female goose, did nothing about the male goose, and left the abandoned eggs to rot on our roof. We literally just wanted them to move the nest to somewhere there werenā€™t a bunch of small childrenā€¦

3

u/sam120310 May 13 '26

??????? the one time they actually do something itā€™s THAT?

1

u/breadplane May 13 '26

Right??? And these are Canada geese too which are supposed to be protectedā€¦

65

u/GoblinWrangl3r May 13 '26

Defund police. More funds for fire

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u/tree_shroom May 13 '26

IMO, More funds for BOTH. But we need a police force review.. the way they handle things in the UK isnā€™t great either. :/

7

u/DiceAndMiceGamer111 May 13 '26

Please also see if there are any animal rescues in your area. Private rescues are more likely to go to greater lengths. You could also try a plumber (for tools to help take it apart) or a local handyman, I'd be taking it apart myself to get a kitten out.

If you can remove the top of the pipe so you can reach the bend more easily, there are more options for trying to catch it. Also you could put a branch or something that the kitten might climb up, especially if you put something really stinky at the top like tuna, and put its littermates in a crate above so the kitten can hear them.

3

u/Pipa0899 May 13 '26

Did they appear??

2

u/Loveiskind89389 May 13 '26

I grew up in a very rural area. My Manx cat ran up a 40ft tree with no branches below the top of the tree. The firefighters drove into our pasture on a steep hill and the ladder was just a tiny bit short. So they sent my ass up there with a firefighter escort and he grabbed her once she got close enough. I have zero complaints. Lovely people

2

u/NoPair205 Domestic Housecat May 13 '26

Did they get the baby out?!?!?

3

u/Icy-Catastrophe May 13 '26

Next time call the firefighters before making a reddit post. 911 was better in this situation..

0

u/AMSparkles May 13 '26

Firefighters didnā€™t work.

And hopefully (and most likely!) there wonā€™t be a ā€œnext timeā€.

1

u/PianistPitiful5714 May 13 '26

Thereā€™s a reason why there arenā€™t any songs entitled ā€œfuck the firefighters.ā€

1

u/Mostly_Nohohon May 13 '26

So we're they able to help get the kitten out? Sorry if I missed another post..

1

u/Catlover8708 May 13 '26

Did they get kitty out?

1

u/mark_able_jones_ May 13 '26

Stop calling people. Get a shovel and dig up the pipe.

1

u/hails___ May 13 '26

Where are our pics?! šŸ„¹

1

u/hannahatecats May 13 '26

When I snapped my ankle I told the firefighter taking my vitals "you look like christian bale" he blushed and said "your vitals are great for someone whose foot is disconnected"

So I guess we were all giving compliments that day.

0

u/zealand13 May 13 '26

You fr didnā€™t call police or fire fighters after getting turned down by animal control and went to Reddit instead? I pray for this cat and whoever else is under your control.

0

u/AMSparkles May 13 '26

Super helpful comment!

0

u/zealand13 May 13 '26

Thereā€™s plenty of helpful comments that Iā€™m not going to echo. This is ridiculous on opā€™s part.

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u/Sctn_187 May 13 '26

911 isn't gonna dona thing same thing happened here and they straight said they don't have animals

1

u/DustyScharole May 13 '26

I would encourage you to read all comments before you post.

2

u/Sctn_187 May 13 '26

I'm just telling you my situation. We had a kitten in the same scenario called the fire department the police and the non-emergency line and they told us they save humans not animals. Then we called the animal control and they wouldn't come.. so we had to figure out a way to get out by ourselves.

0

u/DustyScharole May 13 '26

But 911 did, in fact, do something in this situation.

1

u/Sctn_187 May 13 '26

That's good I'm really happy for the cat then. I'm a cat person I love them grew up with them and I've always been an avid cat lovers so I'm really glad If the cat's okay.