Town Council Closed… Kitten Takes Over!
What happens when the Town Council shuts its doors? Apparently… a kitten moves in! Two weeks ago, Team Catland was alerted to tiny cries echoing from inside an abandoned, boarded-up council building. The place was sealed, derelict, and downright dangerous. But one little life was trapped inside — and determined to be heard.
Our friends Ros and Andres Ciment swiftly contacted the fire brigade, and together we prepared for a rescue mission. The door was accessed. The search began. But… nothing. No kitten.
The firemen returned! Not once, not twice, but three times. We could hear the desperate meows, but the elusive feline was nowhere to be seen. Were we losing our minds? Was this kitten a ghost? Then Ros had a sudden realisation, the cries weren’t coming from the room… they were coming from within the wall. The kitten was trapped between an interior brick wall and an exterior Tosca wall. Peering closer, we found a hole barely 4cm wide, just enough to pass some food and water to our hidden tenant to keep him alive. But a daring rescue was needed.
Operation Kitten Extraction
The next morning, the Bomberos returned, determined to break through. A small opening was made… but our shy little wall-dweller refused to leave the only world he knew was the dark, cramped, space hidden away from the world. We had to get creative. Enter: Operation Kitten Extraction.
Plan 1: Tube with camera. We watched… we waited… no kitten.
Plan 2: Bigger tube. Kitten peeked out, stared at us… and retreated.
Plan 3: Hoist net. For a fleeting moment there was success! But our furry escape artist wriggled free and darted back inside.
The bars on the windows were making this near-impossible… until Andres had a lightbulb moment. If we dismantled a kitten trap and reassembled it inside the bars we might just stand a chance. We left the trap in place overnight… and guess what? By morning, the food was gone. Our little squatter had finally ventured in.
Late last night, armed with cameras and patience, we set the trap. Hours passed… then BANG ! the trap door shut. Carefully, we covered the trap to keep the kitten calm. But with the bars still in the way, extraction wasn’t going to be easy. As a team we had to work together. Andres placed a flexible cat carrier through the bars and manoeuvred it into a position where it made the baby impossible to escape. Nervous moments until we got the ok from Andres!
The kittie was scared but after some gentle coaxing, a lot of patience, and a few contortionists moves, we finally had him safe and sound. Mission Complete. One brave, wall dwelling kitten rescued and thanks to teamwork, determination, and a little outside-the-box thinking… quite literally.
If at first you don’t succeed
A wonderful family, who had followed the kitten’s story from the beginning, had been patiently waiting each night over the past two weeks, hoping to welcome him home. They were overjoyed when we contacted them and excitedly met us to collect their new family member. Once he’s had time to relax, we’ll take this stunning little boy to the vet for a full health check and vaccinations. We estimate he’s around 10 weeks old and judging by the noise he made (and the number of worried Jávea locals who visited to ask about him), we’re pretty sure… he’s now the most famous kitten in Jávea!
If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. Rescues can take weeks but, we reap the rewards knowing a life has been saved!
