A kitten stuck down a drain sparked a major rescue operation in Kerikeri yesterday involving the SPCA, a plumber, council contractors, a small child, a vet and the volunteer fire brigade.
The fluffy, blue-eyed kitten was finally plucked to safety by a contractor around 3pm after spending at least five hours stuck about 20m down a stormwater drain. It is now recovering at the Bay of Islands SPCA.
![A few of the kitten rescuers, from left, SPCA inspector Wendy Locke, contractors Ben O'Brien and Lance Kenney, and SPCA inspector Adrienne Prentis.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/LVJ2S7FV6HFN6L5EGBRSRUCE2U.jpg?auth=276b51c5a6f17ac5fcf612f3da63e72196e017a0ef61d899292b01c7ede833ea&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
NorthTec tutor Jo Berghan said a passer-by alerted her to a pitiful meowing from a drain at the corner of Kerikeri Rd and Hone Heke Rd about 10am. She managed to lift the manhole cover but neither she nor a vet from the clinic across the road could see the stricken kitten.
''So then we got this little boy and shoved him down there to have a look. He was just walking past and he was keen to help.''