Eight firefighters spend four hours on dramatic high-tech rescue of baby kitten flushed down the toilet by toddler
By Richard Shears
Last updated at 6:17 PM on 22nd October 2010
A two-day-old kitten in Australia was dramatically rescued by eight fireman over the course of four hours after the pet was flushed down the toilet by his toddler owner. Alannah Merleto, three, had a habit of flushing things down the loo so when her mother Ammie asked her where the kitten was she feared the worst. 'Down the toilet,' the little girl replied.
Saved: Cain the two-day-old kitten is plucked from the drainage pipes after his owner Alannah Merleto flushed him down the toilet
Habit: Alannah, three, often flushed items down the toilet according to her mother and has now promised not to take Cain anywhere near the bathroom
Their Sydney home was turned upside down as the family searched for the kitten. It was then that they heard the tiny cries coming from the pipes under the house. 'I didn't know what else to do, so we rang the fire brigade,' said Mrs Merleto. No less than eight firemen turned up and, using a camera on an 80ft long chord, they were able to see the kitten on a small monitor. It was stuck well and truly in a bend in the pipes, where there was just enough air for survival.
It was not going to be a simple operation, but the firemen assured little Alannah and her mother that they would do their best. First, they dismantled the toilet then went under the house to smash through a concrete slab with jackhammers. It was four hours before they were able to reach the part of the pipe where the small cat was trapped. They cut their way through - and out came the kitten - a soggy moggy but otherwise none the worse for wear.
Relief: Ammie Crofts cries as the tiny kitten is pulled out of the drain at her Sydney home
Team: Eight firefighters were involved in the rescue and smashed through flooring to access the pipes
High tech: Firefighters pushed a tiny cable at the end of a cord down into the pipes to pinpoint where Cain was
The Merletos decided to name the kitten Cain, after the fireman who led the rescue operation. 'Cain actually worked as a plumber before he joined the fire brigade, so he was certainly a handy member to have on the crew,' Superintendent Ian Krimmer of the New South Wales Fire Brigades told Sydney's Daily Telegraph. As for Alannah, she has promised her mother she'll never take the kitten near the toilet again.
Safe and sound: Cain back with his mother Pusska and his siblings
By Richard Shears
Last updated at 6:17 PM on 22nd October 2010
A two-day-old kitten in Australia was dramatically rescued by eight fireman over the course of four hours after the pet was flushed down the toilet by his toddler owner. Alannah Merleto, three, had a habit of flushing things down the loo so when her mother Ammie asked her where the kitten was she feared the worst. 'Down the toilet,' the little girl replied.
Saved: Cain the two-day-old kitten is plucked from the drainage pipes after his owner Alannah Merleto flushed him down the toilet
Habit: Alannah, three, often flushed items down the toilet according to her mother and has now promised not to take Cain anywhere near the bathroom
Their Sydney home was turned upside down as the family searched for the kitten. It was then that they heard the tiny cries coming from the pipes under the house. 'I didn't know what else to do, so we rang the fire brigade,' said Mrs Merleto. No less than eight firemen turned up and, using a camera on an 80ft long chord, they were able to see the kitten on a small monitor. It was stuck well and truly in a bend in the pipes, where there was just enough air for survival.
It was not going to be a simple operation, but the firemen assured little Alannah and her mother that they would do their best. First, they dismantled the toilet then went under the house to smash through a concrete slab with jackhammers. It was four hours before they were able to reach the part of the pipe where the small cat was trapped. They cut their way through - and out came the kitten - a soggy moggy but otherwise none the worse for wear.
Relief: Ammie Crofts cries as the tiny kitten is pulled out of the drain at her Sydney home
Team: Eight firefighters were involved in the rescue and smashed through flooring to access the pipes
High tech: Firefighters pushed a tiny cable at the end of a cord down into the pipes to pinpoint where Cain was
The Merletos decided to name the kitten Cain, after the fireman who led the rescue operation. 'Cain actually worked as a plumber before he joined the fire brigade, so he was certainly a handy member to have on the crew,' Superintendent Ian Krimmer of the New South Wales Fire Brigades told Sydney's Daily Telegraph. As for Alannah, she has promised her mother she'll never take the kitten near the toilet again.
Safe and sound: Cain back with his mother Pusska and his siblings
