When we get tagged about kittens in storm drains, we’re always sort of amused at the suggestions to call the fire department or PD or the shelter. While those folks have training and resources, the reality is that there’s no chance a fire truck or police cruiser has a cat trap onboard, and if the shelter is open, they’re not making house calls. If you have problematic paranormal activity, you call Dr. Venkman. Likewise, if you have a kitten in a storm drain, who you gonna call?
Yesterday, after scrambling all day to meet a regulatory deadline, I received a FB notification while standing in line at FedEx about a kitten in a sewer (actually, a storm drain) needing rescue. There wasn’t much to go on in the post (photos and location, please!) so after dropping off my package, I connected with the poster who then directed me to the cross streets in a SE Fresno neighborhood.
Arriving on-site, I surveyed the drains on each side of the street, dragged off the covers with gear I had in the truck and leaned in for a listen. Sure enough, I heard a plaintiff cry from inside one of the drains, prepped a kitten trap and lowered it into the drain where he seemed to be. I then texted storm drain collaborator Joey Phipps so he wouldn’t think I was ditching him for a solo career. He confirmed that he was less than a mile from the neighborhood and agreed to meet me on-site and check my work.
Within minutes, Joey showed up on his Triumph 900 in full leathers, deemed my setup acceptable and agreed to check back later that evening. We roped the trap in place, repositioned the drain covers, posted a pic of the trap in the original post and headed back to work.
Two hours later, Joey texted “Where do you want Stormy 3?”, and within minutes, Nevada was stuffing his face to ear smooshes in his own luxe setup with hammock, hutch, stuffie, private bath and buffet. If you’re being held up or your house is on fire, call PD or fire respectively. If you have a kitten in drain, call the guys that show up like Bond villains and get it done. And if you had to Google “Dr. Venkman”, your pop culture game needs work.
Nevada
