A mini-outbreak of cat rescues have kept Merseyside animal protection officers on their toes since the coronavirus restrictions began.
The RSPCA was called to rescue two cats (one cat twice) which had got themselves into tricky situations over the past week.
On Friday, March 20, Merseyside Fire Service had to use heat-sensing and cutting equipment to rescue a 10-week old kitten in Grange Mount, Prenton.
RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes was called out to rescue Daisy after her owner heard the frightened felines’ cries coming from behind the kitchen cupboards but was unable to reach her.
After dismantling the cupboards they still could not see the kitten so fire officers attended and used heat-sensing equipment to track her through the walls.
Fearing she may have fallen further down the gap and died, the rescuers were relieved when Anthony located the hole where Daisy had entered the wall underneath the sink.
He said: “I just had to think where a small 10-week-old kitten may have gone if she was frightened and when I unscrewed the u-bend I could see two tiny paws and the cat’s back end.
“The fire service used cutting equipment on the wall and they managed to free Daisy who was returned to her relieved owner.”
On Tuesday 24 March, the RSPCA was called to a house in Gregory Close, Warrington to help a male cat which was stuck on the roof.
The animal welfare charity had previously rescued the troublesome nine-month-old cat from a tree on Saturday but the worried owners called them again a few days later.
Inspector Kathryn Kellegher said the cat had been stranded for three days on the roof of the house and the owners had been trying to entice him down with food.
Realising she could not safely reach the family pet she called for the help of the Fire Service, who used their long ladders to get entice the pet to a lower roof before catching him and handing him over to his grateful owners.
Kathryn said: "He didn’t seem to learn his lesson from climbing a tree as a day later he was on the roof so I think they plan on keeping him inside for a while until he can be trusted."
The RSPCA said: "During this difficult time, our priority is to help animals in need.
"We are already experiencing strain on our centres and frontline due to Covid-19 and this will worsen in the weeks ahead."
Advice, information and support through this challenging time is available on the RSPCA website.
