Cat rescued from column chamber in Coachella
A young cat was rescued after he managed to get trapped inside a column chamber at a property in Coachella.
The Department of Animal Services was called to the 51-700 block of Lorenza Lane after a resident heads meowing cries from a column chamber. Officials said the hollow column was part of a covering at the end of a driveway, but its top was not closed, so the kitten likely climbed inside for warmth, or fell down.
The resident contacted the landlord who then sent out a handyman to assist. The worker cut through the stucco and snipped some wiring to make an opening for the responding officer.
Animal Services Officer Jose Cisneros retrieved the cat without incident and transported it to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms.
“Initially, I used a ladder to look down the opening at the top,” Officer Cisneros said. “I thought it was closer to the top because of the loud meows, but I used a flashlight and realized he was all the way down.”
When the worker cut away the stucco wiring, the officer initially heard hissing.
“But with all the noise made to create an opening, I am not surprised he would be a little upset,” Cisneros said.
The trapped feline, a 4-month-old, domestic short-haired male, received an examination by the veterinary services team and it appeared to be in good health.
Staffers at the Coachella Valley shelter nicknamed the kitty "Stucco," since he was once trapped behind the material used for the column – and he was once in a super stuck situation.
