Kitten Up To Its Neck In Storm Water, Raccoon Treading Water Freed On Long Island

PORT JEFFERSON, NY — It was a busy weekend for animal rescue in Port Jefferson, as two trapped animals — a kitten and then a raccoon — were rescued from storm drains one day a apart.

Frankie Floridia of Strong Island Animal Rescue and his rescue colleague, Eddie Stepinski of Canine Dog Tracking, first rescued a four-to-five-week-old kitten from a drain at Earl Vandermeulen High School in Port Jefferson on Saturday.

Staffers heard the kitten crying Wednesday and called Floridia for help, but the animal could not be located. Staff and students were very upset before the kitten was found, he said.

"The kids were crying," he said. "The kitten was screaming down there since Wednesday, and we tracked and finally got it. It was up to its neck in water in the bottom of the sewer drain. And, with the rain coming, we were fearful."

The kitten had somehow gotten into a labyrinth of interconnected drains about 50 feet below the surface, making it difficult for rescuers. Floridia tried on Wednesday, and the fire department tried on Thursday, but also to no avail, he said.

"We were determined and did not give up," Floridia said.

The animal was seen on camera Friday night, so he baited it with tuna fish inside a humane trap that closes when an animal steps inside, he said.

"Sure enough, we caught the kitten," Floridia added.

The kitten, a black and white tuxedo, has since been named "Royal" in honor of the school's sports teams. He's healthy and is currently being looked after by Floridia.

Floridia credited the school's students and staff for their help during the rescue. They plan to raise money for Floridia's rescue.

"They were a big help to us," Floridia added.

Then on Sunday, a raccoon found hanging off the side of a storm drain in rising water was freed from certain doom.

Someone walking on Main Street near the storm drain spotted the trapped animal while it fought to stay afloat and called police. Port Jefferson Village's Bay Constables then notified Strong Island Animal Rescue around 12:15 p.m. By the time Floridia arrived, the animal was still hanging on the grip by its hands, he said.

"He was just holding on because the water was so deep that, I mean, he had to swim when he fell in," he said, adding, that the animal clenched onto the drain. "And he couldn't leverage himself, like, to come up because his body would have swung down and he didn't have the power to pull himself up."

Floridia then worked with the police and bay constables, using an impact wrench to open the sewer and then a snare pole to hoist the animal up out of the drain just in time.

"He barely had any time left, especially with the rain coming," he said, adding that the water was rising. "With the rising tide, it would have consumed him. He would have been finished."

Once the animal was secure, Floridia was able to release him back into the wild.

"Everything was fine," he said. "The raccoon was completely fine. It was very healthy."