CLEVELAND, Ohio — A dramatic rescue unfolded Tuesday as a team of volunteers saved a kitten trapped in a 4-inch-wide pipe, performing life-saving CPR after pulling her to safety.
The kitten, named Matilda, had fallen eight feet into the dark, water-filled pipe outside a Cleveland home. Despite the efforts of rescuers, three other kittens did not survive, according to a Facebook post by Kamm’s Cat Guardians, the local group involved in the rescue.
A Desperate Rescue Attempt
The team—comprising Craig and Mike from WKYC, along with Kym, Gary, Robert, and Jim—worked tirelessly to reach Matilda, whose distressed meows echoed from the pipe.
“Stay with me, please,” one rescuer pleaded during the tense operation, captured in WKYC’s coverage.
Jim, a Home Depot employee, quickly improvised a grabbing tool to reach the kitten. After multiple attempts, they successfully pulled Matilda out—but she was unresponsive and not breathing.
Mouth-to-Mouth CPR Saves the Day
One rescuer immediately began administering mouth-to-mouth CPR, carefully holding the tiny kitten face-up. The team then rushed her to a veterinarian, where she regained consciousness and began crying—a sign of her remarkable recovery.
A Happy Ending for Matilda
Now in foster care, Matilda is thriving—eating, playing, and snuggling as if her ordeal never happened.
“Although our hearts are broken for the ones who couldn’t be saved, we are grateful for little Matilda’s survival,” Kamm’s Cat Guardians wrote on Facebook.
The rescue serves as a testament to quick thinking, teamwork, and the power of second chances.
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