Firefighters rescue kittens from inside cavity wall and under floorboards of bungalow

Firefighters were called in by the RSPCA and rescued four one-week-old kittens from a bungalow in Kirby Cross, Essex. Sue and Brian Davie, who do not own a cat, called in the RSPCA after hearing the sound of kittens, on Saturday. Assistant Divisional Officer Paul Nash said: "A couple in their sixties heard the cries from a kitten in their bungalow and realised the noise was coming from inside the cavity wall. 



"The occupants of the bungalow thought it was rather strange as they do not own a kitten or a cat. The worried couple called the RSPCA and they then called us in. Frinton firefighters removed several bricks from the wall in the kitchen to try and locate the kitten, which turned out to be under the floorboards by a boiler cupboard. Crews removed the floorboards to rescue the animal.



"Thinking that our job was done, further cries were heard in the lounge some eight foot away. The USAR (urban search and rescue team) technicians were called in at this stage and they used their specialist listening and detection equipment to search for any further trapped kittens. The crews cut away into the lounge floorboards and used a snake eye camera to locate the animals. That's when a further three emerged unharmed!



"A stray cat had got into the loft of the bungalow and had a litter. The kittens had some how managed to drop down one-by-one from a hole in the loft and gone into the cavity wall and then got underneath the floorboards. The occupants of the bungalow were extremely grateful for all our efforts. Two of the firefighters involved in the rescue have put their names down to rehome two of the litter when they are ready to leave their mum." The litter were all safely rescued and left in the care of the RSPCA with the mother.