HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) - A kitten may have nearly used up one of its nine lives after it got stuck for nearly two days in a Hanover shopping center storm drain.
A customer first spotted the kitten Thursday at Hanover Square Shopping Center in the 7200 block of Bell Creek Road.
“We got halfway down the parking lot, and you could hear it screaming,” said Jennifer Clements.
Clements said Hanover Animal Control tried to rescue it Thursday, but that the storm drain was just too small.
As a result, some folks put out some food and water Thursday evening in hopes of luring the animal from the drain. They even propped a board inside the drain, so the kitten might be able to scramble up and out.
However, Friday morning the food was untouched and there was still no sign of the kitten.
So on Friday, three tenacious girls came to the rescue.
The smallest climbed down into the dark and grimy storm drain. When she got to the bottom, she crawled down a narrow pathway, about 50 feet.
"Come on kitty, kitty," one of the girls coaxed.
In the sweltering heat, the girls in the storm drain worked to get the kitten out, as a crowd gathered outside.
Video shows one of the girls, her legs sticking out of the drain, as tried to inch her way down to grab the kitten.
"She's right there in a dirt pile! Take that thing and get her," instructed one of the girls.
Three hours later, the rescue mission was a success and a scraggly, dirty-covered, male kitten was pulled from the drain. He was quickly wrapped in a towel.
The little on was rushed to a vet, but not before taking a picture with his life savers.
The cat has been named Stormy -- and should be up for adoption soon.
