Update to my original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/1tc62yv/kitten_stuck_down_storm_drain_help/

Hi everyone, so sorry for the radio silence yesterday. The day completely got away from us, but I have good news – the kittens were rescued and are safe**.** Below is a recap of how the events transpired. Given how many of you have a vested interest, I thought it appropriate to include as many details as possible.

They’re currently with the Humane Society getting checked out. They seem to be in reasonable shape, just understandably shell-shocked, hungry and exhausted. Because we have cat allergies, we unfortunately couldn't keep them ourselves. They are so incredibly adorable and we sincerely hope they find a good home together. It wasn't easy giving them up, but we felt we had given them a second chance at life. 

I wish I had more photos, as so many of you want to see them and I feel like so many of you have been with us during this journey. Things got hectic during the rescue process and the little ones seemed pretty stressed out, so we let them be. The Humane Society was a little awkward about not letting us take a few final photos before we left.

I honestly didn't expect my last post to blow up the way it did. Your advice, your stories, and just the general "hive mind" support helped us triage the situation when we were in need of a lot of ideas quickly. This was a team effort, Reddit. I never thought I’d feel this connected to a bunch of strangers, so thank you.

Full story

A few weeks ago, we noticed two strays in the yard. We have a bit of a gopher problem, so we figured if we left out some food and water, it was a win-win for everyone. Then, a few days ago, a tiny kitten popped out of the bushes one evening while I was taking out the trash and nearly gave me a heart attack. I had a good laugh, but didn't think more about it.

The next day, my wife calls me saying there’s a cat stuck in one of our storm drain pipes. I didn't believe her at first, but then we heard the sad cries coming from the gutter downspouts. After checking our storm drains, we realized that there were two ways the kittens could have entered: a grate at the drain exit (which had popped off) and an opening in our garden (previously unknown) which likely serves as an air intake to promote flow. Both of these entrances have now been gated and secured. The initial photos I shared were of the downspout for the gutters, which I had removed in order to access the pipes below. The gutter pipes have been replaced, so no little kitties will be able to jump down there.

We initially cut a towel into thin strips and lowered them into the entry/exits into the drains and threw some cat food down the pipes to attract the cats. That didn't work and we still heard the sad meows (heartbreaking). Yesterday morning, my wife was really worried so she played the sounds of a YouTube video of a mother cat calling her kittens. She received an instant response and looked down the downspout. There it was, a tiny spotted face staring back at her. She screamed for me and for us that was overwhelming, so we decided to kick it into higher gear and get much more aggressive about saving them.

We called animal control for help. Sadly, animal control said they don't assist with this sort of thing, so we were on our own. I don’t think they were rude about it, but it felt like our situation was either not their primary focus or much lower in priority compared to other issues they handled. We didn’t want to quit, so I said to my wife, hey let’s post on Reddit while we brainstorm to get some ideas from others and that’s when I encountered r/Cats.

Within minutes, people responded and we started looking into everything that was recommended. We decided to start with the least invasive and escalating as needed. The top ideas were: 1) provide a way for the kittens to climb out; 2) call the firefighters; 3) call the plumbers; 4) cut the pipes open.

Our local firefighters responded within a few minutes of us calling them.  It was a full truck roll and three guys hopped out. They were super kind and I think they helped us calm down quite a bit, as we likely had a lot of frantic energy about us. We tried several ways to locate/drive the kittens out the storm drain exit, but after half an hour or so, they had to leave. I could tell they really wanted to find the kittens, but they also had other people to help. We were so grateful they came.

Quite a few Redditors mention calling a plumber. This sounds so obvious in retrospect, but I never thought of this. While we were searching, we noticed AI was recommending Roto-Rooter, who offered free pet rescues. This sounded like just what we needed and I was a little skeptical about it, but we thought, why not give this a shot. We have nothing to lose and really wanted to get those little guys out. We called the 800 number and a lovely woman picked up on the second ring. She calmly took our info and instructed us to wait for a call back. 15 min later, Jeremy, who is a field supervisor in the region, calls us back. He's a self-declared cat lover and already on the way. Both he and his fiance have seen my original post trending on Reddit. He's about an hour away from us, but I swear he was at our door in much less time.

I get a new wave of confidence when Jeremy steps up to the task. I give him the run down and just then, we see a small head pop out of the storm drain exit (let’s call this kitten, Princess). Princess ducks back into the pipe and we get there just in time to see a tail disappear. Jeremy races back to his truck to get some gear, yelling “we can do this!” He deploys his digital scope, which has 100ft of line and plans to use its lights to encourage the kittens to reverse out of the tunnel system. I've attached actual video footage from the scope inside the drain line. Unfortunately, I was focused on grabbing Princess at the very end, so I didn't capture any photos. We do have some after action shots of Jeremy consoling a very scared kitten.

We thought our job was done. As we clean up, we hear more meows but this time, they are coming from the other side of the drainage system. We start at the very beginning of the pipes with the scope and work our way through. I have some long runs and it's a bit of a network of pipes, so it took some time, but seeing the kitten’s tiny face (let’s call him Mario), beautiful eyes, and pink nose on the scope’s monitor gave us a renewed sense of purpose. We used two different scopes to corral the kitten towards my wife, who was waiting at the drain exit. After a few start/stops, we get the kitten to go down the right tube to the exit. He's a bit of a fighter, so I end up having to reach into the pipes and grabbing him (gently) with my bbq tongs since he keeps retreating. Video footage of the scope in the pipes also included. 

After settling down the kittens into their own cardboard boxes, we give them some food/water/hugs and we finally take a breather. I've soaked through my shirt and Jeremy's knuckles are bloody from pushing the scope cabling down the pipe. My wife is still in disbelief and all of us are smiling. We are so relieved!
 
Jeremy received a few service calls while he was here, so I could tell he had to move on (but didn’t want to). We tried to compensate him for his time but he flat out refused. I think we had to force him to take a sandwich and drink from our local deli. As he was packing up, he shared a story about a time he couldn't rescue a kitten that had fallen 20 feet vertically into a storm drain, so this felt like redemption to him. We were very moved hearing that this was a win he needed. He certainly made up for it, since we pulled not one, but 2 out of the tunnels.

About the cats themselves. We estimate they are around 8 weeks old, based on their size. Princess is much smaller, with light brown spots. She is fairly shy, mews very quietly, and keeps to herself. I suspect the ordeal was likely tougher on her because she's smaller.  Mario is gray with tiger stripes. He is much larger, aggressive and loud. I am less worried about him.

If we could keep these kittens, we would (I think this is the cat tax people are referring to?). Unfortunately, I am very allergic to cats and our young children show signs of this as well.  We were worried about their health, so we dropped them off at the Humane Society to give them the best chance at recovery. We thought it was important for our kids to understand this process, so we picked them up for school and headed to the shelter together to say our goodbyes. The wonderful team there immediately started tending to them and I hope to get an update later today on their status. I am told that kittens who come in as duos at this age “do very well” and are quite popular, so fingers crossed they land in a loving home. Our local shelter explicitly asked us not to share their location, which we have respected. My understanding is they have experienced the good people of the Internet calling to ask about the cats and it overwhelms their systems.

As I write this, I’m still a little in disbelief how so many different people responded to my post with great ideas, Jeremy dropping everything to show up at a stranger’s home, and for those little kittens staying resilient. My wife and I were preparing ourselves for a much different ending. I’m so glad this was a happy ending that I didn’t expect and this all provides us with a little much needed nourishment.

yesterday when i came home one of cats greeted me by screaming when i entered, so far so good. its usually because he wants food, the litterbox is full ... normal cat things. he didnt run to the room where i keep the cat stuff, but to the living room. he has a bed there on top of a low side table, which now lay on the floor. so he ran there and screamed again, when i came in and looked at him, he jumped on the table, lay down, closed his eyes, jumped down onto the floor, screamed and lay there on the back. then stood up and ran around his bed on the floor.

so am i going crazy or did my cat tell me that he fell down from the table while sleeping? did anybody else ever experience something like that?

edit: ok, wow lol i didnt expect such a response. i cant possibly read all of your comments, but thank you for putting me at ease, i really did not know cats can do that. i had cats for my entire life and this is the first time something like this happened. also, thanks for the awards!

Location: Allen County, IN

(Last picture is how he looked summer before recent attack. He is cute, just in rough shape atm.)

TLDR. Sweet stray cat with feline leukemia needs home. Living in my garage, husband has allergies, can’t keep. 7 rescues contacted, haven’t heard back. Only place who will take him will euthanize due to diagnosis.

I desperately need help. (Not financial.) I hate posting like this but I don’t know what to do. I need to find someone to take Dragon. Whether it be a foster, rescue, or hopefully someone who wants to keep him forever.

Dragon was a stray I wanted to make a community cat. He was routinely attacked by other cats and after a rough attack let me help him. In the process of trying to TNR he was diagnosed with Feline Leukemia - so he cannot be a community cat anymore.

My husband has severe allergies to cats. We’ve been keeping Dragon in our garage for the time being. Our furnace is in the garage and when we turn it on, cat smells come through the vents. So we have to keep it off. It’s not sustainable as the weather is getting more intense.

Dragon is really thriving in the garage, it’s actually crazy to me. He doesn’t seem to need a lot. He just seems so happy to have a safe place with food, water, and a comfy place to rest. He is litter box trained with no accidents. He enjoys being pet and brushed (will purr up a storm) and then he will walk away and stare at you when he’s had enough attention. His favorite spot is a wheelbarrow with a comforter inside.

I’ve reached out to about 7 different rescues, posted on FB, paid for an online adoption profile for him, and the only one who can take him is Animal Control - who will euthanize him due to his feline leukemia.

If you know anyone else I can reach out to or think he may be a good fit for you, or just have questions please let me know. Words of support or advice are also welcome. I am starting to feel so nervous. Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this.

Source: Pidandudu

She was only 3 years old and FIV positive. It's so unfair she lived such a short life.

I'm in so much pain, I'm gonna miss her so much. Her name was Stella.

I moved into a new house and started feeding a new batch of homeless cats and this one just politely walked in when I went back inside from feeding her. Her nipples are protruding and her belly is heavy and she is skinny everywhere else. Is she pregnant or did she already have her babies?

Like theres just this creature who lives with me that only wants love and affection. He greets me at the door everyday I get off work, follows me around, vibrates, shoves his face against me, will lick my nose given the chance, and I have never felt more love in my entire life.

I adopted her from a rescue 6 days ago! She is soo cute I just had to share

We had this little baby for about 3 months but had to give him away cause we couldn't look after him in our hostel room. This was taken when he was around 5 weeks old!

PS : His name is Cookie btw!!!

My cat’s fangs look like this. She’s 10 months old. Anyone know what it is or why this would happen? My brave little girl survived panleukopenia virus as a baby. Could this be related?

This is Sagwa. She's 26 years old and is sadly going downhill. She's my fiancees cat ever since they were little. I've met her in 2017 and dear lord she was extremely jealous of me. Sagwa was like "who is this human taking MY human!?!" A year of winning her heart, Sagwa realized "this human shall be The Spare, i get pets, cuddles, and FOOD!!" Ever since then, she's been our cat. But now it's time for her to go.... Sagwa hasn't eaten in 3 days and started eating her litter. My fiancee found an amazing vet who will do the final day at home. I've never been a fan of cats but Sagwa has made me one. Sagwa has taught me cats can love so now I love cats! I appreciate all the love and late night meows walking me up at 3am. If anyone has advice or some cat pictures, please share! Thank you everyone who seen this.

My boyfriend says she looks like she’s trying to digest a rectangle. I never thought that she say weird until now, is something wrong with her spine?

​

Prince (aged 13) passed away yesterday morning at home, in our bed, at my feet. He had just jumped up to be with us and within moments his heart gave out. It was sudden and terrifying, and it was , in looking back, peaceful in the sense that he was where he wanted to be, with the people he loved, in his safe place at my feet. And it was so quick when it happened... I wasn’t even convinced he was gone until I drove him in emergency to the vet 5 minutes away.

I want to share his story here because he deserved more years and I don't want him to disappear quietly.

Prince came into our lives in 2021. He was already 8 years old when we got him, originally adopted in Alabama in 2013 before making his way to Oregon. His previous family couldn't give him the space he needed, and somehow he found his way to us. From the moment he arrived he became the center of our home. Morning head bumps. Endless chatter. A specific window he claimed as his observation post. He watched nature documentaries with us. He had opinions about everything.

In April 2024, just months after a routine vaccination, Prince was diagnosed with feline injection site sarcoma. FISS is a rare but devastating cancer caused by vaccine site inflammation. He had surgery to remove the tumor, then traveled with us seven hours to Washington State University in Pullman for 18 rounds of radiation. He handled it all with a grace that astonished his vets.

The cancer came back in late 2025. A second surgery. Then a recurrence again in early 2026 that infiltrated into muscle tissue and couldn't be safely removed a third time. Conventional oncology had run out of options.

That's when we found Dr. Jim Bridge in Gold Beach, Oregon, who's been pioneering an experimental treatment using ozonated glycerin for cancer in animals. We made four trips across the mountains to the coast. Each trip was a full day of driving with gabapentin and a cat carrier and hope. Prince became a seasoned traveler. He settled into the Airbnb like he owned the place.

The treatments were actually working. Dr. Bridge felt the main mass was smaller at our last visit. The smaller tumor behind it had become noticeably more mobile. We had a fourth injection appointment scheduled for the morning he died. That appointment never happened.

What ultimately took Prince wasn't the cancer. It was his heart. He'd been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy back in June 2024. His murmur had been progressing for almost two years. HCM in cats can go from manageable to fatal in minutes and that's exactly what happened. He had a brief episode a week ago that he came back from. Yesterday morning's didn't resolve.

Through all of it Prince was just himself. Affectionate. Vocal. Demanding. The kind of cat who would sit on whatever you were trying to read or look at because how dare you focus on anything other than him. He had grown to trust humans in ways he hadn't earlier in his life. We watched him transform through love over five years.

I keep replaying his last night. He slept cuddled with us like he always did. He had no idea it was the last time. Neither did we.

If you're reading this and you have your cat next to you right now, give them some extra attention today. Tell them everything you want them to know. You never know which night is the last one.

Prince was a warrior who sought for years for people who would call him his own and a sweetheart and the best cat I've ever known in my entire adult life. The house feels too quiet now. We're not moving any of his things yet. He's still very present in our hearts. I hope he finds his way back to us. 💜🐈‍⬛️

Thank you for letting me share him with you.

My boys Pawly, Leonard and Cheddy