The small gray kitten was stuck in a 15-foot-deep storm drain in Antioch, California, for two weeks before rescuers could help lure her out on Thursday with a tuna-soaked towel.
According to the Contra Costa Times, the kitty caper started when residents began hearing the cat's distress calls coming from a dungeon-like drain. Neighbors were concerned but didn't know how to help.
The feline's situation became even more dire when the area was hit by two big rainstorms, but somehow she survived by hiding in a space under a pipe where water didn't rise.
Things began to look up for Stormy on Thursday when rescuers from the Homeless Animals Response Program hatched the purr-fect plan: They soaked a towel in tuna as a way to lure her into a trap. It worked, and now the kitty is convalescing at HARP volunteer Ray Zeeb's home, where she's getting lots of food and affection.
"It was a Christmas miracle," resident Arlen Dumin told the Contra Costa Times of the rescue. "You should have seen it. It was amazing."
While HARP played an integral role in saving her, they are calling it a team effort, crediting members of the Antioch Police Department, two unidentified good Samaritans and more helpful hands. "This was not a HARP rescue – this was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen," Zeeb said. "Everybody was just so concerned – it was unbelievable."
As for Stormy, she's presumably crossed storm drains off her bucket list and will be available for adoption if she isn't claimed within 30 days.
