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‘Quacking’ kitten saved by Hartford Police team from storm drain following heavy rain

HARTFORD — Mewing was more than just a cute sound for one little kitty. Hartford Police saved a kitten Monday night from a storm drain after a neighbor re...

HARTFORD -- Mewing was more than just a cute sound for one little kitty.

Hartford Police saved a kitten Monday night from a storm drain after a neighbor reported hearing her cry.

The kitten, which a veterinarian says is between 6 and 8 weeks old, got stuck during the heavy rain.

Deputy Chief Brian Foley said Holly Donahue, a K9 officer and dive team member, went in the drain to get the kitten after crews removed the grate. Police say Donahue descended about 20 feet beneath Nahum Drive in the North End of Hartford.

“We weren’t going to leave this cat to die,” Donahue told Fox CT. “I shined a light down the tube and at the end of the tube I could see her. We just had to coax her.”

Donahue also said the rescue was a true team effort--four other officers on scene, the MDC water company and the neighbor who reported the kitten crying all helped to save the little cat.

The kitten, a black domestic long hair, is now at the New England Veterinary Clinic in Windsor and doing great according to Adam Porter, a vet who is head of emergency services and critical care at the clinic.

Porter has named the kitten “Duckling” because, for now, her meows sound more like quacks due to a minor respiratory issue that was caused from being caught in the wet sewer pipes.

Thankfully, Duckling is expected to heal up. “I think she is going to be a totally fine and healthy little kitten,” Porter noted.

The Hartford Police Animal Control division said they have received more than 30 calls from people offering to adopt the kitten.

“It does make you feel good,” Donahue said. “Maybe more people can go out and adopt an animal--that would be the best part of this.”

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