Terrified kitten rescued from sewage flow system by RSPCA in Birmingham
A tiny terrified kitten - who was rescued after booming cries for help were heard - was helped to safety by the RSPCA in Birmingham.
Animal Rescue Officer Cara Gibbon responded to the call made to the charity alongside fellow rescuer, RSPCA Inspector Boris Lasserre, who both donned dry suits for the special mission in Handsworth.
She said: “This tiny little kitten was in a real fix and there was no way she could have got herself out without help. She was trapped down a sewage flow system and we think she must have fallen from quite a height above as there was no other way she could have got herself in there.
“We know she had been in there for at least three days and with no mum around she must have been terrified. We attended following a call for assistance from the fire service who were unable to rescue her as she kept going into the tunnel. We tried for hours until it was too dark before returning the next morning.
“She appeared to remember us! Running towards us and calling out for help but was too scared to come to us. Thankfully, she went into the trap we’d set and we managed to get her to safety. It was a fantastic rescue as she almost certainly would have perished if she wasn't so loud in the tunnel which alerted a passer-by to her plight!
“As a charity, we help animals of all shapes and sizes, in all sorts of peculiar situations, 365 days a year, but this was certainly a memorable rescue with such a little kitten in such a huge tunnel.
“We will always use our specialist skills to help animals when we can and we’re grateful to other agencies for working with us to help animals in need. There are also lots of ways the public can help animals themselves too; after all, the quicker an animal gets help, the better. If we all work together, we can create a kinder and better world for all animals.”
The kitten has been named Olivia Twist by rescuers who first thought she was a boy and named her Oliver - after the young orphan - before realising she was a girl and switching the name.
She was taken to RSPCA Birmingham Animal Hospital for a health check before being transferred to the team at the RSPCA Worcester Branch animal centre.
