Oregon Firefighter Rescues, Adopts Kitten

May 4, 2014
A four-week-old kitten was rescued from a pile of debris by Forest Grove Fire & Rescue firefighters and one of the members took the cat hom.

April 30--Not to be outdone by the rescue of more than a dozen ducklings by the Hillsboro Fire Department on Wednesday, A Forest Grove Fire & Rescue crew saved a kitten buried in a large pile of yard debris.

Hey @HillsboroFire we saw your duckling rescue today, but we raise you one cute kitten we just saved! Your play. pic.twitter.com/64wQFgDqix

-- Forest Grove Fire (@ForestGroveFire) April 30, 2014

Crews were called to a home near 19th Avenue and Oak Street after a neighbor reported hearing meows inside an estimated 20-by-20 foot pile in a yard, said Capt. Tony Carter.

"It's a nice day out and we didn't have many other calls at the time, so we decided to check it out," he said.

The debris in the pile included hedge trimmings, blackberry vines and parts of a Christmas tree, according to the fire agency. The neighbor said she had seen cats in the area before, believed the kitten had burrowed inside the pile and had been abandoned, Carter said. He did not know how long the cat had been inside.

After about 45 minutes of cutting and searching, crews managed to pull out the kitten.

@ForestGroveFire Nice work neighbor! What ever the day demands.

-- Hillsboro Fire Dept (@HillsboroFire) April 30, 2014

@HillsboroFire indeed, but if the rescue involves an angry escaped rhinoceros or something like a spider, we'll defer to you guys.

-- Forest Grove Fire (@ForestGroveFire) April 30, 2014

The male cat appeared to be about four weeks old, Carter said. The kitten was apparently frightened and taken to a veterinarian for an evaluation.

Carter said he told his wife about the rescue, showed her a picture of the feline and now they plan to adopt the kitten.

"I wasn't really looking for another cat," he said. "But it was a hard thing to pass up."

Kitten rescue update, he's been adopted by Cpt. Carter and family and they named him Olaf. We love happy endings! pic.twitter.com/2eBwRz5MhO

-- Forest Grove Fire (@ForestGroveFire) May 1, 2014

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

Copyright 2014 - The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.

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