Trapped kitten: First responders avert cat-astrophe in Beaufort

Thanks to some quick thinking first responders, a kitten trapped inside the base of a utility pole is free this weekend.

It all started when a resident on Greene Street in Beaufort began hearing what sounded like the desperate mewing of a kitten.

After the resident determined the cries were coming from the base of one of the utility poles running through the neighborhood, he contacted Beaufort County Animal Control and Services.

The massive poles, which dot the landscape and stand well above the city’s treeline, rest on well-like bases bolted into place.

“Taking the pole down just (wasn’t) happening,” said Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Chief Reece Bertholf.

How the kitten got inside the 4-foot deep base is anyone’s guess but can more than likely be blamed on that old culprit and enemy to cats everywhere: curiosity. A roughly four inch gap between the base and the pole provides just enough space for an unsuspecting kitten to crawl in and become trapped.

On Saturday, animal control officers tried different things in an attempt to rescue the small kitten from his metal dungeon, including feeding a snare of sorts down into the hole. But nothing worked.

Finally, officers hit upon a solution. What if they flooded the hole so that the little guy would float to the top?

After contacting the fire department and conferring with Capt. Larry DeLoach, responders decided to try it, Bertholf said.

“...(We) realized it was the only way,” he said.

So responders fed a fire hose into the gap. Once the hole began to flood, the kitten latched onto the snare and swam to the top where he was quickly snapped up by those waiting.

“I’m very proud of my crew and animal control for being so resourceful,” Bertholf said. “(And) yes, kittens can swim.”

The kitten was taken to a veterinarian and cared for. And, as they say, all’s well that ends well.

This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Trapped kitten: First responders avert cat-astrophe in Beaufort."