Every day is different for the Fire and Rescue team. Adam Maiden, Nicolas Van der Meer, Brody Lowder, Nathan Brown. Photo: Canberra Pet Rescue.
A kitten trapped in the walls of a grocery store in Dickson has been rescued thanks to the ingenuity of an Ainslie Fire and Rescue crew.
Distressing meows caught the attention of staff, who contacted Canberra Pet Rescue, which coordinated with Fire and Rescue to come to the kitten’s aid.
Arriving on scene, the crew began looking for the trapped cat in the roof cavity between the store and a restaurant next door.
But with the cat’s meows getting weaker, it wasn’t proving easy until one firefighter had an idea.
“We were unable to find it. And it wasn’t making any sound, so I suggested to Brodie to YouTube ‘cat toy sounds’,” said Station Officer Nathan Brown.
“He’s [searched] sounds to get a response from your cat straight away, and sure enough, as soon as we did that, I heard the little meowing from the kitten.”
Once the kitten began meowing, they were able to find her trapped in a cavity between a concrete wall and a cool room after falling out of the roof.
With the location pinpointed, the difficult task of extracting the cat came into play.
Fire and rescue had to make some improvised rescue tools. Photo: Canberra Pet Rescue.
First, the crew attempted to lower a ceiling hook wrapped in cloth down to her, in an effort to give her something to cling to. Then a firefighter’s battle rope was lowered down, but still she wasn’t taking the bait.
As the crew considered the more drastic option of cutting open the wall to retrieve her, one firefighter came up with a plan.
“While we were doing that, my motor driver, Nick Van der Meer, created a little basket. With some of our rope that we’ve got on the truck and a box from the supermarket,” said Nathan.
“The supermarket owner donated a little bit of fish … we put that in the little box and lowered that down.”
Nicolas ‘Dutchy’ Van Der Meer constructed the hoist using duct tape, cardboard, and rope before lowering it into the wall cavity. With the donated fish as bait, they were finally able to lure the kitten in.
“It was very cute when it came up and saw us, it was looking pretty dishevelled as well. I was surprised at how little it was.”
Nathan said as soon as the kitten was out of the wall, they quickly got her safely into a cat carrier so she couldn’t bolt.
Fire and Rescue spent several hours trying different solutions to rescue the kitten. Photo: Canberra Pet Rescue.
After two to three hours of work, Nathan said it was fantastic to have a good ending. The crew decided to nickname the kitten ‘Dutchy’ after Nicolas, who came up with the cat elevator.
Canberra Pet Rescue, which stayed on scene the whole time, was ready to take over after she emerged. Safely in a cat carrier, she was handed over to CPR President Amanda Doelle.
“She was in shock, heading under a towel in the carrier … so we just raced straight to the vet,” she said.
Amanda took Dutchy to the Canberra Cat Vet, where she was admitted as ‘Kitten Found in Wall’.
Though a little malnourished, Amanda said Dutchy was in good health.
“We are still watching and monitoring closely at the moment, but she’s just dehydrated, and she’s all skin and bones. There’s not an ounce of fat on her little body,” she said.
“She’s been getting small little feeds with kitten food every few hours and close monitoring and lots and lots of TLC. She’s started purring and really settled down into her life of luxury.”
According to Amanda, these kinds of rescues are common due to the presence of stray and unneutered cats in the city, which often take shelter in ceilings.
“Unfortunately, there are hundreds to thousands of un-desexed cats living on the streets of Canberra. This is the third time we’ve had a call out for a kitten that’s fallen down into a wall.”
She encourages anyone who finds a trapped or distressed animal not to wait, but to contact them or Fire and Rescue immediately.
“We can’t leave them in walls and hope that they can get out, because there’s no way out once they’re in the wall.”
Dutchy is now recovering well, and once she has gained some weight, she will be vaccinated and microchipped before being put up for adoption.
According to Nathan, when she’s ready to find a forever home, there might be a bit of competition.
“A few of our partners are pretty keen on seeing little Dutchy, as well. My partner loves cats, and she fell in love when she saw it. I think it’s getting a fair few requests.”
Canberra Pet Rescue is a charity that rescues, rehomes, and fosters pets in the Canberra and Queanbeyan area. More information about adoptions and donations can be found on their website.
