A seven-week-old kitten has been rescued thanks to the work of the West Auckland community after it was trapped down a drain pipe for more than six hours.
A 7-week-old kitten has been rescued thanks to the work of the West Auckland community after it was trapped down a drain pipe for more than six hours.
On Sunday morning about 10am, Ranui resident Hazel Gill was looking out her window when a stray kitten leapt from the front door and down into a concrete drain pipe, becoming stuck metres underground.
Gill and her flatmate Jake Armitage rushed outside after hearing cries coming from beneath the stairs.
Stuck underground, the pair started frantically digging in a bid to reach the kitten, who was growing weaker by the hour. However, the kitten wasn't visible, with only its cries as a guide to how far down she was stuck.
When firefighters showed up and failed in their attempt, it was left up to the community to either rescue Cosmo or let her die.
A seven-week-old kitten has been rescued thanks to the work of the West Auckland community after it was trapped down a drain pipe for more than six hours. Photo / Supplied
"We got out there and tried to dig out the pipe but we quickly found it connected to a concrete junction that goes under the house and we could hear her meowing in fear," Gill told the Herald.
"The fire department came out but were pretty useless. A few hours had passed and we were starting to feel panicked. We got our neighbours on board and posted to Facebook and got in touch with 9 Lives Cat Rescue, who came down to help.
"Before we knew it around 10 to 12 people showed up to our doorstep to help."
Armed with shovels and their bare hands, locals continued to dig as the hours continued to tick away.
Aaron from 9 Lives was contacted and rushed to the scene along with local Stefan Lupton, who managed to place a camera down the drain in an attempt to get a clearer picture of where the kitten was.
Cosmo the stray became trapped down a drain, taking the community more than six hours to rescue her. Photo / Supplied
More than six hours into the ordeal Aaron, Jake and Stefan continued to dig in an attempt to find where the pipe came out, discovering another connecting pipe attached to the concrete drain.
"We all felt really sick and panicked. It reached the point where she was in there so long I thought there was no chance she'll come out alive," Gill said.
"It was a one in a million jump that she jumped down the pipe, like jumping down a shoot. It wasn't like we could smash the pipe, we thought she was underground beneath this concrete."
Jake slowly poured a tiny bit of water down the connecting pipe to see where it would lead to and when he went back to the main drain pipe he saw a little tail.
Nearly seven hours later, the fearful kitten was rescued.
Cosmo was covered in mud and shaking from the cold. She suffered a gunky eye but is otherwise recovering well. Photo / Supplied
"We all felt really sick and panicked. It reached the point where she was in there so long I thought there was no chance she'll come out alive." Photo / Supplied
"I reached in and I felt her and I grabbed her and managed to pull her out by the tail," Jake said.
"She must have walked backwards after we tipped a bit of water down."
The young kitten was covered in mud and freezing cold. Gill rushed her inside to clean her up and wrapped her up and held her against her chest to keep her warm.
Aaron from 9 Lives went and got her special cat milk, pet food and electrolytes so she'd be all set up and healthy.
Gill monitored her really closely overnight and revealed she's eating really well and playing. She just has a bit of a gunky eye so we're going to take her to the vet to get it checked up.
Cosmo the stray became trapped down a drain, taking the community more than six hours to rescue her. Photo / Supplied
As Cosmo recovers from her almighty ordeal, Gill said it was incredible to see the community swing into action in a bid to save the stray kitten.
"All these people turned out and were digging in the hot sun and were trying to come up with action plans. It's just a miracle we managed to spot her tail and grab her."
"It's amazing to see so many people wanting to help and posting hundreds of messages.
"Aaron from 9 Lives was amazing. The SPCA couldn't come, the fire department was useless but Aaron knew exactly what to do.
"He was telling us to find the building plan and get on Facebook and rally the troops. he was the man with the plan and he said he'd keep digging until midnight on his own if he had to, he wasn't going to give up."
Following the stray's rescue, Gill plans to keep Cosmo as her own, giving her a forever home.
