Airmen rescue kittens inside wall

  • Published
  • By Noel Getlin
  • 505th Command and Control WIng Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFNS) --  Members of the 505th Command and Control Wing may not be known for conducting search and rescue missions, but when a litter of kittens was trapped in a wall June 22 here, wing members knew just what to do.

Bruce Chappell heard a cat early June 22 as he sat at his desk in Building 90005, but he couldn't tell where the sound was coming from.

"My first thought was it was a cell phone ringer or screen saver," Mr. Chappell said. "Then I asked others and they heard it, too."

Believing the cat might be in the ceiling, Tech Sgt. Josh Clinchers went in search of the cat, but couldn't find it. Later, Mr. Chappell said he heard one at his desk.

At about 4:15 p.m., "Someone came and said they heard cats behind the wall," said Master Sgt. Mark Young. Gingerly, Sergeant Young began cutting small squares into the wall under Mr. Chappell's desk. On his third hole, the sergeant reached between two studs and pulled out one gooey and upset gray kitten.

"When I grabbed the first one, I could feel there were more in there," he said. Twenty minutes later the fourth kitten, just days old, was delivered from certain death.

Capt. Adriana Fernandez, a former veterinarian technician, took charge of the litter, cleaning them and placing them in a box. She explained to wing members that kittens this young -- their eyes not even open yet -- would need to be bottle-fed every few hours.

"Suddenly, they weren't so cute anymore," she said of the crowd drawn by the tiny gray-striped visitors. Captain Fernandez, who is allergic to cats, went out to get the proper formula for them and returned to work every few hours throughout the night to feed them.

But caring for the litter was a team effort. One Airman raided a locker room in search of discarded T-shirts for a nest, while another poured warm water in water bottles and wrapped in towels to keep the kittens warm. Another noticed the distended bellies and stimulated them to eliminate. On the morning of June 23, the kittens loudly announced their presence and drew other volunteers who fed the hungry babies.

The kittens were taken to a foster home June 23 under the care of Alaqua Animal Refuge, who said they would put the kittens up for adoption once they are weaned. If not adopted, Eglin Pet Welfare has agreed to take them in. Pet Welfare also provided a nonlethal trap to help wing members capture the mother cat and reunite her with her kittens.

While no one knows for sure how the litter got there, many believe the stray mother climbed into the ceiling from an outside vent, gave birth, and the kittens fell below inside the wall.

"I wish I could take them home to my dorm, but I can't," said Airman 1st Class Nadia Katana, who volunteered to feed the kittens. "They're babies. Angels."