Firefighters used Jaws of Life to rescue kitten that had been stuck between rocks for two days

A two-week-old kitten that found itself in a tight situation was rescued by Johnston Animal Control Officer Erin Medeiros and the Johnston Fire Department last week after being trapped for days. On Tuesday, a homeowner in the Rhode Island town heard unexplained cries in her yard and went looking for the source. “The homeowner didn’t know where it was, she just heard the crying,” Medeiros said. “The homeowner just happened to have the day off, and she was adamant to find out where the cries were coming from.” The resident’s property is lined with large stones that separate her yard from the neighbour’s.



Following the cries, she walked the property line and found a kitten in quite a predicament. She then called for help. “I was pulling into the police station to punch out for the day, and I got dispatched to the call and responded,” Medeiros said. “The kitten must have been walking on top of the rocks following its mom, which is a stray that we haven’t been able to trap. He probably fell through and then, being scared, tried to get out and got himself wedged. He was probably stuck between those rocks for two days.” Medeiros tried everything within her power to get the tiny kitten out, but was unsuccessful.





She decided to call the Fire Department for assistance. “No matter what I could finagle, there was no way I could get the kitten out by myself, he was beyond stuck and really did a number on himself,” she said. “The fire department was unbelievably helpful. We had to use the Jaws of Life to get him out, and they worked beautifully.” Fearing that the stones were unstable, and concerned that they would fall or crumble and crush the kitten, the team worked carefully for about 45 minutes to extract the cat. Firemen used the Jaws of Life to pry the rocks apart and give Medeiros the space needed to reach in with her hands and complete the rescue.




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“I waited for the queue, and then reached in and grabbed him. It was amazing,” she said. “I don’t think, I just do sometimes. My priority was saving the animal, and I did what I needed to do.” Upon inspection, the cat was dehydrated and had fleas but was quickly attended to and was otherwise okay. Medeiros credits Julie Ring, an animal foster mom, with her assistance re-hydrating and calming the kitten. “The kitten is doing really, really well. We named him Soldier because he’s like our little trooper, so we gave him that name we thought that suited him,” Medeiros said. “Just this morning, more than 50 people called wanting to adopt him.” Medeiros quickly lined up a safe place for the cat to call home.