
Thank heavens for kind souls, Lendi and Carlo, who followed a kitten’s desperate cries in a bid to save her. It was no easy task, since the kitten was ‘somewhere’ inside a ship engineering warehouse in Table Bay Harbour! But that didn’t deter Inspector Elani Graham, who rushed to the help and narrowed down the source of the cries to an open drain pipe at the back of the warehouse.
“The 10cm diameter pipe went down at a 45-degree angle and was completely covered under a thick concrete slab,” said Inspector Graham.
One day later, the kitten was still hidden – so Fire and Rescue were called to help. A growing team of Inspectors, engineers and an electrician became increasingly determined to save the kitten.
Hammers, chisels, an angle grinder and – eventually, a jackhammer – were all used to chip open the pipe’s mouth enough to improve manoeuvrability …
… food was lowered into the pipe with a guide rope in the hope that the kitten would use the rope to pull itself out … then a blanket … and eventually, an endoscope was lowered in the hope of getting a visual of the kitten in the pipe – and thankfully, the rescuers could now at least see him.
Then, Cadet Inspector Brian Arendse had an idea … he searched the Internet for a sound clip of a mother cat calling her kittens – and miraculously, the kitten started following the sound! Moments later a tiny head peeked out just enough for Cadet Inspector Arendse to quickly pull him out – to a relieved roar of cheers!
The kitten was immediately taken to the SPCA hospital for a veterinary check-up – and just a few weeks after his dramatic rescue, Pyper – as he’s now called – was adopted.
These newsletter stories are just a small sample of the wonderful work that our supporters made possible and it is this loyal support that gives us the confidence to face 2022 head-on! No matter what happens in the months ahead, we know your generosity and kindness will help to see animals through. Thank you for letting us count on you! Donations towards the work of our Inspectorate can be made below. These donations will keep them in the field so that they can always be there to rescue animals in distress.