Preschoolers and Police Rescue Kitten Stuck in Storm Drain

Livermore, CA — It took a few officers and a bit of time to rescue an adorable kitten stuck in a Livermore storm drain this week.

According to police, the animal emergency was reported Thursday after preschoolers at a nearby school heard the kitten crying. Officers had to remove the heavy grate and climb five feet down into the dark drain to reach the wayward feline. A California Highway Patrol officer in the area helped with the rescue.

"The kitten was hours from death," Livermore Police Officer Traci Rebiejo said.

According to Rebiejo, the tiny kitten likely slipped through one of the openings in the large grate. No one is sure how long the kitten had been in the drain when it was discovered.

Nicknamed Stormy, the kitten will eventually be adopted to a forever home. In the meantime, the kitten is being fostered and rehabilitated by a local business owner.

Animals all over the East Bay have been getting some help from emergency personnel this year. In April, some caring firefighters and their high-tech equipment produced a purr-fect ending for a trapped kitten in Castro Valley.

Read about more amazing animal rescues on Patch:

• See CHP Pursue Wayward Chihuahua on San Francisco's Bay Bridge
• Rescue in Pleasanton: Little Ducks Run Amok
• Owlets Survive Fall From Rafters, Rescued By Animal Control Officer
  
• Chickens Roaming on Freeway Cluck Up Morning Commute
• CHP Officer Rescues Injured Fox
• CHP Officer Saves Wounded Blue Jay

Photos courtesy Livermore Police Facebook