Couple on boardwalk hear crying and find trapped kitten 20 feet below. See the rescue
A couple walking along a boardwalk in Massachusetts heard a kitten crying — and realized it was coming from a steep embankment below, animal rescue officials said.
They had been walking near The Cove Restaurant and Marina in Fall River when it happened, officials said.
They called Animal Rescue League of Boston, and field service team members “spotted the 9-week-old kitten curled up on a rock about 20 feet below the boardwalk,” the league said in a July 29 post on Facebook.
“The steeply sloped and rocky area was not accessible without risk of injury,” and rescuers feared the scared kitten would run away from them and hide if they tried to go down to him, officials said.
They called Fall River Animal Control for help, and together the rescuers tried to “tempt the kitten into a humane cat trap” filled with food, officials said.
It took about 40 minutes for the kitten to give into his hunger, officials said. Video shows the gray tabby kitten inching his four white paws cautiously inside the trap as a rescuer tries to gently close the door behind him.
The frightened kitten jumps around and tries to escape, but the door is already closed, the video shows.
Rescuers hoisted him up to the boardwalk and placed him in a carrier for transport to the league’s Boston Animal Care & Adoption Center. There the kitten was fed and given “a thorough veterinary exam,” officials said.
“The kitten, now named Wharf, was in good overall health and has already found his new home!” officials said. “ARL wishes to thank the Good Samaritans who reported the wayward kitten, and Fall River Animal Control for their assistance in rescuing this adventurous animal.”
Several people echoed the sentiment in comments on the league’s social media accounts.
“Amazing!” someone said on Instagram. “Thank goodness for those people for being so observant and taking the time to call for help…a life saved today.”
“Yay!” another person said. “Thanks to all the amazing people and the kitty already has a home! Happy ending!”
Fall River is about a 50-mile drive south from Boston.
This story was originally published July 31, 2024 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Couple on boardwalk hear crying and find trapped kitten 20 feet below. See the rescue."
