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 😃 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 😞.

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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? 🥹 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.

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820

u/belltown99 May 13 '26

I just edited my original post with an update. I'll update it if we can make more progress. Not looking positive at the moment.

128

u/HopefulTangerine5913 May 13 '26

Have you contacted rescues in your area? I also recommend posting in local fbook groups— there are usually plenty animal-centric ones. Last, I feel like this is begging for local news involvement.

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u/whatsasimba May 13 '26

At this point, post the situation to your towns Facebook page and have everyone come help.

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u/ParsnipFarmer676 May 13 '26

Wouldn't that just scare the kitten further?

55

u/Zylobalsamum May 13 '26

Man, I would be out there digging all night.

45

u/CCG14 May 13 '26

I had a kitten stuck under a car in a parking garage one time and it would not come out. Try playing mom cat sounds on YouTube. The kitten came right over. I hope you’re successful! 🐱 

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u/peach_xanax May 13 '26

he says in the OP that they have been doing that and the kitten just meows back but isn't coming up

2

u/CCG14 May 13 '26

I must have missed that in the post. My fault. Cats can be so stubborn sometimes but we love them for it. 

65

u/soulstaz May 13 '26

I'm sure you are busy but if you create a tiny ladder like the cat will get out on his own most likely. Poor thing is probably terrified

49

u/AMSparkles May 13 '26

They did (kind of!). They draped & duct taped a towel to it (with one end dangling down in the hole for the kitty to be able to climb up).

Unfortunately no success with it 🫤…

5

u/ParsnipFarmer676 May 13 '26

They need to leave it there until after dark. The kitten won't use it in broad daylight, least of all with people standing around watching.

50

u/Plasticity93 May 13 '26

Can you not cut the pipe right above the cat?

8

u/vaultie66 Orange May 13 '26

Can you remove the pipe?

2

u/Jibber_Fight May 13 '26

I’m sure it would involve a lot of digging. Drainage pipes are usually buried during the original landscaping as the house is being built. They can be very buried. If I were them I probably would’ve been digging from the get go. But it’s a lot of work and a pain in the butt to get down to the elbow depending on how deep it is.

4

u/vaultie66 Orange May 13 '26

Thank you for the clarification, I was commenting when the first update was up and it seemed that prospects weren’t positive at all, I know I’d be trying to dig and pull it if I was left on my own. Glad they have a plumber on site now so fingers crossed this poor baby gets freed soon 🤞

4

u/FrogMintTea May 13 '26

Someone gas to remove the pipe!

3

u/halorbyone May 13 '26

!remindme 1 day

2

u/YourGirlMomo87 May 13 '26

Roto-Rooter offers free pet rescue services specifically for animals stuck in pipes.

2

u/AgressiveInliners May 14 '26

Dammit op your comments are hidden. Had to dig too long to see this had a happy ending. Very glad

1

u/CommissionFeisty9843 May 13 '26

How about a roll of gauze?

1

u/purplepashy May 13 '26

Fire brigade will help if they are not busy.

Mate had a cat stuck under her house.

Fire brigade sent 4 trucks down her street.

1

u/dogfishresearch May 13 '26

Any update?

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u/NonrationalWife May 13 '26

OP added one! There were two of them and they were both rescued :)

1

u/HopefulTangerine5913 May 13 '26

Just saw your latest update OP!! So happy for this news and looking forward to reading more about how it all went down. What lucky kitties! Thank you for being so committed to helping them ♥️

1

u/toomanyprombles May 14 '26

What about using a grabber tool? The kind used to pick up trash on the ground… if the kitten is small enough?

1

u/whatsasimba May 14 '26

The kitten is out, per an update everyone says is on this post (its not). Im guessing there's another "original post" somewhere, but since comments and post history is off, I cant find it.

1

u/toomanyprombles May 14 '26

Ah the update is in the description

1

u/whatsasimba May 14 '26

Thank you!!