You’ve heard of firefighters rescuing cats from trees. But how about from a car engine?
That was the situation presented this week to members of Kootenay Boundary Fire and Rescue in Trail.
Chelan Baulne, who provides support services says someone called them on Tuesday asking for help, but they got cut off. She tried phoning back but there was no answer. Later, they showed up in person.
“We were out back working on the fire truck and the lady that owned the vehicle asked us if we could come out and help her get a kitten out of her car,” she explains.
The kitten didn’t belong to her, but was stuck in her engine compartment.
“It had been there for a few hours. They had been trying to get it out for a while to no avail,” Baulne says. “The guys were luckily able to help her. They climbed under the car and tried to lure the kitten out.”
Baulne says they did not have to remove any parts. Rather, they just lured it with some cat treats and eventually a firefighter was able to grab the kitten’s leg. Baulne says the whole operation took 10 to 15 minutes.
The kitten, whose name is Ducky, is now back home, no worse for the wear despite going for a ride inside the engine.
“That’s what we were surprised by,” she said. “That could definitely have gone sideways.” That makes Ducky extra lucky.
Baulne added rescuing kittens from engines has not previously been part of their job description.
“This is a new one for us.”
