A stray momma cat led a woman to a storm drain so she could help her save her kitten who was trapped inside.
Meet Mama Rayne!
Last Thursday Lisa was walking in her work parking lot when she saw a cat running up to her, meowing. The kitty kept signaling the woman as if she was trying to tell her something. She followed the cat who led her all the way to a tiny drain up by the building.
"When Lisa got close to the drain, she could hear a kitten down the hole frantically crying. Because of the way the drain pipes were sloped, there was no way for the kitten to get back up the pipe on his own," Missy of Here Kitty Kitty Rescue shared with Love Meow.
She immediately reached out to Here Kitty Kitty Rescue (in Elkhart, Indiana) for help. "We tied a tuna juice soaked scarf around a 7-foot pole and stuck it down the pipe. Our hope was that the kitten would be attracted to the smell and climb up the scarf and to freedom."
Meanwhile, they were able to get the mama cat in a carrier and also found her second baby (named Riley) who was hiding in the bushes.
The kitten was very fearful of humans which gave them an idea that the little one trapped inside the drain was probably very frightened as well.
They waited till the next morning and found out that their plan was not successful. "Our good friends at Meow Mission went to check out the situation and to help and could still hear the baby down in the pipe screaming. We started to panic because we knew that we were running out of time."
"How do you catch a feral kitten, that does not want to be caught, as he is running terrified through a maze of underground pipes, hungry and just wanting his mommy? We finally got inspired and had an idea."
They found a nearby manhole, and rescuer, Stacy, volunteered to crawl down into the murky water and look through the pipes.
"We found a black pipe about 10 inches wide that seemed to lead to the drain pipe where the kitten had fallen down. We got our small kitten live trap, filled it with yummy food, and placed it in the black pipe connected to the manhole."
Stacy then climbed back up, and they began to play videos of a mama cat calling her babies over and over. Then they could hear the kitten's cries getting louder and closer.
"We were all holding our breath, and heard the best sound ever: the snap of the trap closing!"
Stacy climbed back down the manhole to retrieve the trap. When she handed it over to another rescuer, they saw a beautiful ginger kitten inside, safe!
"Despite being alone, with no warmth or food for almost 48 hours, we got our kitten, safe in the trap. Lisa named the little guy Piper."
Here Kitty Kitty Rescue brought the feline family back to their beautiful sanctuary where they could relax and decompress. Piper was so happy to be reunited with his mama and sister. "They are very impressed with canned food!"
Cuddling with his rescuer, Stacy.
Sweet mama Rayne found a kind-hearted woman to help her save her kitten.
Now the family of three is doing well in foster care - no more worries about food and shelter!
Share this story with your friends. If you would like to support their rescue efforts, click here to see how you can help. Follow updates on this feline family and their other rescue kitties at Here Kitty Kitty Rescue on Facebook.
Related story: Cat Mom Protects Her Kitten in Storm Drain and Waits for Someone to Rescue Them