Donna Lochmann put everything on hold to respond to a report about a newborn animal stuck in a sewer. When she arrived at the site in a hurry, a little, pitiful scream was coming from inside a pipe.
According to Lochmann, chief lifesaving officer of Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL), “I could hear her meowing as soon as I stepped out of the Jeep.”
“I looked down and saw this tiny white and black kitten at the bottom of the sewer,” Lochmann said. “She must’ve been around 7 weeks old.”
With the kitten’s meows intensifying and sunset approaching, Lochmann knew she had to rescue the young cat quickly. But the sides of the sewer pipe were smooth, and there weren’t any metal rungs that would allow her to climb down to where the kitten was, so Lochmann had to come up with a different plan.
When Lochmann returned to his Jeep, he discovered a sizable quantity of dog food. I transferred the food to a box, poked a hole about two inches below the top, and attached two leashes to it to make it long enough.
The bag was then stuffed with some moist food, and Lochmann lowered it down the sewer pipe. Initially wary, the kitten gradually moved near the bag and began to taste the food inside after being overcome by hunger.
Lochmann stated, “I waited until I could barely make out the tip of her tail poking out. She slid straight to the bottom of the bag as I pulled the leash up, she said.
Lochmann cautiously took the cat out of the bag and out of the sewer pipe. The dedicated rescuer was able to assess the kitten’s condition after she was finally secure in Lochmann’s arms.
Since she had been at the bottom of the sewer, she was very wet, so Lochmann tried to dry her off by placing her in a carrier with some towels. She was an extremely amiable kitty that never hissed.
After that, Lochmann spent the remainder of the day with the kitten. She went to an art event with Lochmann, and because of how late they were, she was given the nickname Tardy. After that, Tardy spent the night at Lochmann’s house where she met her unanticipated best friend.
She was adored by my dog, Lochmann said. My dog would just kiss her as she rubbed up against the crate’s bars.
