Nov. 27 (UPI) — Animal welfare officials in Florida came to the rescue of a kitten who was heard crying from a drain pipe.
Escambia County Animal Welfare said an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office employee heard the kitten’s sounds coming from a drain pipe near the Escambia County Regional Juvenile Detention Center.
Chief Animal Welfare Officer Sgt. Merideth Roberson responded to the location and initially attempted to use videos of a mother kitten to lure the cat closer to the opening.
“I played mama cat sounds again and then I saw his beady little eyes at the very end of the tunnel,” Roberson said in a press release.
The kitten refused to come any closer, so Roberson put on a headlamp and climbed into the drain. She said she had to crawl about 50 yards to reach the kitten.
“I was a little scared to crawl in there,” she said. “I’m just super grateful that I had the opportunity to do things like this and that I received training to do my job to the best of my ability.”
The kitten, now named Pipes, was taken to a veterinarian for a check-up and will soon be available for adoption at the Escambia County Animal Shelter.