Kitten Rescued From Rusty Metal Pipe At Abandoned Field In Alameda: Police

ALAMEDA, CA — A kitten may have Alameda Animal Control officers to thank for retaining one of its nine lives.

Authorities say an officer with the Alameda Police Department Animal Control was dispatched to an abandoned field at Ferry Point over the weekend and was faced with a unique challenge: getting a distressed kitten out of a rusty 10-foot-deep metal pipe.

The pipe's depth posed a challenge for the officer, but "with some serious animal control ingenuity," they got the frightened kitten out, according to the Alameda Police Department.

"Once safely out of the hole, it was clear this little guy had been through quite the adventure," police said. "He was covered in wet rust, and his paw pads were raw from his many unsuccessful attempts to climb out on his own."

The kitten, which was thereafter named "Rusty," was given a bath and some tender love and care before being placed in a foster home, police said.

The foster parent, police added, is the dispatcher who answered the call about Rusty in distress.

"It really does take a village," police said. "In this case, a passerby, a dispatcher, a patrol sergeant, and an Animal Control Officer all worked together to make one furry friend's life a little sweeter."