One afternoon, a family was going about their daily routine when they noticed an odd noise coming from outside their bedroom window. They searched for the source of the noise and eventually found that a stray cat had chosen the family’s rain gutter as the ideal location for her litter.
The family was able to secure two of the kittens and bring them inside to keep them warm while they waited for help to arrive. Both the RSPCA and local fire services came to offer assistance and quickly began working together to figure out a plan.
“The mum cat had decided to give birth to her five kittens in the guttering of the property and with heavy rain due to set in, we knew we had to get to them fast,” Adam Bailey, an inspector with the RSPCA, said in a press release.
“Alongside fire and rescue, I managed to get up onto the roof … and slowly but surely contain the mother using a reach and rescue pole and then pick up each kitten and bring them to safety.”
Although the cat, subsequently given the name Storm, was somewhat perplexed, she didn’t put up much of a fight since she appeared to understand that everyone was only trying to bring her and her babies to safety. The entire family was successfully extricated from the gutter by rescuers, and the family was relieved that Storm and her kittens wouldn’t get stranded there in the storm.
The RSPCA is currently settling in to take care of Storm and her kittens. The kittens’ names are Hail, Misty, Foggy, Misty, Rain, and Thunder. Storm had a microchip, but the information was no longer valid, making it impossible for the RSPCA to contact her family. She and her kittens will all be available for adoption once they’re a bit older if no one steps forward to claim her.
A rain gutter may not have been the most convenient place for Storm to have her kittens — but luckily, the family noticed her just in time.