Someone heard ‘unique’ noises coming from a Florida storm drain. Then came the rescue
On a rainy day in St. Petersburg, Florida, a kitten got itself into a bit of a pickle.
Pickle is not the correct word. The animal actually got trapped in a storm drain, according to a Facebook post from the local fire department.
Luckily, the drain was near the station, and a crew was more than happy to head out and help the kitty around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
READ MORE: Check out adorable ducklings who got caught in a storm drain in Florida
According to Lt. Garth Swingle, a call came from a concerned bystander who most likely heard the tiny animal in distress from the depths.
“Little kitten noises are a pretty unique sound,” he said. “You’ll hear it, all right.”
READ MORE: How a chihuahua got out of a storm drain in Florida
Swingle says the firefighters removed the cover, climbed down on a ladder and freed the poor thing. The “adorable” cat was “unharmed,” said the fire department’s post, which added that the person who made the initial emergency call ended up taking it home as a new pet.
If you think you’re hearing about more and more critters getting caught in storm drains, that’s because you likely are.
“We get that quite a bit,” Swingle said. “Much more so than cats caught up in a tree.”
The public information officer thinks the animal may have been seeking shelter from strong storms earlier in the day.
“Once they get down there, they can’t get back out,” Swingle said. “It’s like a pit.”
The FB post with the nice news received 160 likes in just a few hours.
A commenter wrote: “Awesome job.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 12:55 PM.
