The Weld County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control, Fort Lupton Animal Control, the Fort Lupton Fire Protection District, and two good Samaritans helped to save a half-dozen kittens from a drain at the Southeast Weld County Services 2950 Ninth St., according to a press release.
Weld County Control Officer Caitlin Perun received a call Aug. 3 that residents heard kittens meowing from a drain that was covered with steel.
“I’m not sure how the mother cat and kittens got into the drain, or if she had the litter there,” said Terri Asay with the city’s animal control department. “The kittens somehow followed her into and under the steel plate for safety. I do not believe that they would have drowned, even with a downpour. It’s drainage for the building, not a culvert drain.”
Asay was part of the rescue effort. The group ran into trouble because the mother was so scared they could not grab her. The fire department’s Lt. Troy Norby and Engineer Brian Vanbeber came to the rescue and removed the steel cover and captured mother cat. While the firemen were working to rescue mother cat two Samaritans watched the kittens.
The 4-week old kittens were healthy. Perun took the family to the Human Society of Weld County to give them their vaccinations and deworm them. When the kittens turn eight weeks old, they will be spayed or neutered and microchipped. Then they will be up for adoption.