Firefighter goes headfirst to rescue cat

A firefighter was lowered headfirst into a stormwater drain to rescue a "terrified" cat that is thought to have been stuck down there for at least two days.
The moggie was grateful for a hearty brunch, courtesy of nearby residents, after it was pulled from the drain by members of the Tauranga Volunteer Fire Brigade yesterday.
Tanner St residents Diane and Sid Sorensen had been hearing a cat meowing since at least Monday but had put it down to lonely cats missing their holidaying humans.
"We've all sort of looked around and not seen anything," Mrs Sorensen said.
However, visitors to the area were walking in the cul-de-sac mid-morning when they discovered the noise was coming from a stormwater drain.
The Sorensens, their grandson Andrew Clarke and his friends Bradley Burrell and Bryn Wilson, lifted the metal grate off the drain and lowered a ladder down, hopeful the frightened cat would use it to scamper up to safety.
They also tried climbing down the ladder and fishing the cat out but it would only retreat further into the drain pipe.
About 11am they called 111 and firefighters came to the frightened feline's rescue.
Mrs Sorensen said one of the firefighters lowered himself head-first into the drain while another held on to his ankles.
"He had to just grab it by the scruff and haul it out. It was terrified.
"It was one lucky cat. We thought we might call it Dwayne (drain) or Lorraine (rain)."
If the firefighters had proved too big to manoeuvre in the small drain, Mrs Sorensen said 12-year-old Andrew was willing to take up the challenge.
Once out of the drain, the malnourished cat quickly demolished a can of Fancy Feast cat food.
Mrs Sorensen contacted Tauranga SPCA, which had not received any reports of a missing cat matching the animal's description. If the cat's owner was not found Mrs Sorensen said she and Mr Sorensen would adopt it.