Kitten about to be flushed into a sewage treatment plant, but rescuers won't give up!
Sanger, California - A kitten was startled by fireworks, ran away, and fell into an open sewer pipe underground! Rescuers spent two days fighting for the furry baby's life.
![A kitten had to be rescued from a sticky situation, but the first attempt failed.](https://media.tag24.de/951x634/p/1/p1uho5txy4nyy0t3xhuj4sbarpcc58sf.jpg)
According to a report posted on Facebook by animal rights activists from the Kirkland Foundation, the little animal heard loud noises on the Fourth of July and rushed across a family's property - straight into its captivity.
"We’d dig out the sewer line by the house, cut a chunk from it, flush the little ragamuffin with a little tap water and patch the pipe," rescuers explained as their initial plan.
The kitten was no longer near the house, however, but was already on its way towards the street – underground!
The team shoveled for nearly seven hours to uncover parts of the sewers yet the kitty remained trapped.
At sundown, rescuers called off the search for the time being and ordered reinforcements for the next morning.
Rescuers search for the kitten with a camera probe and tracking devices
![Rescuers did not give up and spent a whole two days digging up the site.](https://media.tag24.de/951x634/g/z/gzd60wyblbfuf76l9edcb34rkw3lt40s.jpg)
A plumber soon arrived and brought his equipment with him, which could have been put to good use the day before – including a camera probe and sound-based locating equipment!
"The good news is we had eyes on the little one, the bad news was he was at the bottom of the 40+ degree slope and at the brink of being flushed into a sewage treatment plant," writes the Kirkland Foundation.
Fortunately, the kitten surprised the rescuers.
The camera and probe were wrapped in a towel as too much light would likely be a big shock for the four-legged friend after such a long time in the dark.
![Andy the cat was ultimately rescued and is on the road to recovery.](https://media.tag24.de/951x634/o/g/ogwmlpdwwic3oflscjrf4yj8g82v22g7.jpg)
The first attempt to pull him out failed, but the second – supported by recordings of a mother cat's call – was successful.
The distraught kitten, who was later christened Andy, was taken to a rescue center and is now on the road to recovery.
Cover photo: Collage: Screenshots/Facebook/Kirkland Foundation