In a dramatic incident that brought the common expression “cats have nine lives” to mind, a grey Burmese cat survived a 15-foot fall down a shaft into the basement of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. The cat, now named Paula by rescuers, was trapped for more than four hours before being rescued.
The incident occurred when the cat slipped down a hole near the outer wall of the centuries-old landmark, landing in a recess below. A schoolgirl playing in the churchyard witnessed the fall and promptly contacted the RSPCA for help.
Sidonie Smith, an animal rescue officer for the charity, responded to the call on the evening of July 2. By the time she arrived, the cathedral had already closed for the day. With the permission of on-site security, Smith, accompanied by a security officer, descended beneath the cathedral to locate the cat.
The teenager had used the What3Words app to pinpoint the exact location where the cat had disappeared. This app provides precise geolocation, which proved crucial for the rescue operation. “We were called by a young teenager who saw the cat run off and vanish underneath a slab of concrete,” said Smith. “She was very upset, but she was able to give me a W3W geotrack location of the point where the cat had disappeared.”
Upon gaining access, Smith discovered an old storage basement that had not been accessed with a key for 25 years. She described the descent as challenging, with steep, narrow stairs leading into a pitch-black chamber with many higher-level corridors. Fortunately, the cat had landed on a bed of leaves and was largely unscathed.
“She was very nervous and frightened, no doubt from the shock of falling from height,” Smith recounted. “She was covered in fleas and had a slight graze on her chin, but nothing was broken, and she was able to move around.”
The cat was microchipped, and after contacting the registered owner, Smith discovered that the cat had been sold four years ago. Unable to trace the current owner immediately, Smith placed several “found” posters around the churchyard and grounds of St Paul’s.
Paula was taken to the RSPCA Finsbury Park animal hospital for treatment, where she was found to be suffering from hair loss in addition to fleas. After her stay at Finsbury Park, she will be relocated to the RSPCA Leybourne animal centre near West Malling in Kent. There, staff will seek a loving, danger-free home for Paula.
In light of this incident, Smith plans to contact the Diocese of London, which manages St Paul’s, to address the risks posed to small animals by the ground-level access to the shaft in the churchyard.
St Paul’s Cathedral, a significant London landmark, was built in 1710, though a church has been present on the site at Ludgate Hill since at least 604AD. The rescue of Paula highlights not only the remarkable survival of a cat but also the ongoing need for animal safety measures in historic and public spaces.
