Resident Hears Meows; Officer Rescues ‘Stucco’
An Animal Services officer responded to a property in the city of Coachella in the 51-700 block of Lorenza Lane where a resident heard meowing cries from a column chamber.
The hollow column was part of a covering at the end of a driveway, but its top was not closed, so the kitten likely climbed inside for warmth, or fell down.
The resident contacted the landlord who then sent out a handyman to assist. The worker cut through the stucco and snipped some wiring to make an opening for the responding officer.
Animal Services Officer Jose Cisneros retrieved the cat without incident and transported it to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms. The trapped feline, a 4-month-old, domestic short-haired male, received an examination by the veterinary services team and it appeared to be in good health.
“Initially, I used a ladder to look down the opening at the top,” Officer Cisneros said. “I thought it was closer to the top because of the loud meows, but I used a flashlight and realized he was all the way down.”
When the worker cut away the stucco wiring, the officer initially heard hissing.
“But with all the noise made to create an opening, I am not surprised he would be a little upset,” Cisneros said.
Staffers at the Coachella Valley shelter nicknamed the kitty “Stucco,” since he was once trapped behind the material used for the column – and he was once in a super stuck situation.
