I decided to investigate anyway. Whenever I got near the source, the crying would stop. I checked all the nearby drains but could not find anything.
My best bud Paul and I have climbed down many drains and crevices in previous attempts to rescue a fallen kitten or puppy.
In fact, my cat Longkang was plucked from a monsoon drain so deep I ended up trapped myself. But that's another story.
Anyway, the following night we were hanging out at the same spot with Sharon and we heard the same eerie cries again...
Paul and Sharon
Horror of horrors! There was a kitten stuck on a signboard above the shops. Probably her mother hid her there and never came back for it.
Maybe the mother was ran over by a car. We'll never know but it was 4am and there was a hungry and frightened kitten trapped above us.
The victim. Fortunately I took this one and only pic of the cat. Otherwise, the firemen would have thought we were imagining it.
Paul trying to lure it down
We borrowed a ladder from the nearby Seven Eleven but it was not tall enough. Sharon called the Fire & Rescue Department. To their credit, they dispatched a team within 10 minutes.
Now, the heartbreak begins.
The ladder that came with the truck was too heavy to rest on the signboard, they explained. Understandably, they didn't want to risk damaging private property just to rescue an animal.
Like catching snakes
So they tried probing with their snake catching calipers and gave up. Nobody wanted to think out of the box or go the extra mile.
I don't blame them, at least they came. Maybe I watched too many Animal Planet rescue episodes with happy endings.
They said they will return at 8am though, when there is better light.
We even offered our ladder
Daybreak and Sharon was still waiting
We waited till around 8am. Found out later from witnesses that they returned at noon, glanced around, and left quickly.
Sharon made a follow-up call and they claimed the kitten eluded them a second time. OK, at least they tried. We are grateful.
It was a holiday weekend and we couldn't access the floors above. Meanwhile, either the kitten is already dead or growing up with pigeons.
Most likely she's shivering in a corner. Tell me how, readers...
3 comments:
Have faith :) Animals are resilient creatures and that kitten may be one of those survivors.
At least the bomba actually came.. wow...
They came! Reminds me of an incident that happened in our Taman Tun house. During a party a couple of our guests got trapped in the downstairs bathroom. A mom and her then 3 year old daughter. Faulty lock. We tried all sorts of ways but couldn't get the door opened. Finally I called the fire department's rescue service. Guess what? Within 5 minutes 3 fire engines arrived complete with flashing lights. Thankfully, they didn't have their sirens on because it was almost 3 in the morning. The flers, all 6 or 8 of them came into the house in full firefighting gear and popped the lock in 3 seconds. They left with our thanks but only after telling us that they only popped the lock cos of the small child. Otherwise, we'd have to fend for ourselves. They're good when they want to be. But don't expect too much. I mean they're called Bomba for crissakes.
waahh PT, dramanya..well, at least they came.. u know.. Funny how we get so jaded that we are surprised when emergency services actually come! (in less than 5hours I mean)..
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