A four-month old kitten that was stuck in a column in Coachella was rescued Friday and will be available for adoption Monday.
Animal Services Officer Jose Cisneros responded to a property in the 51-700 block of Lorenza Lane on Friday to a report of meowing cries coming from a column, according to John Welsh, spokesman for the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.
“The hollow column was part of a covering at the end of a driveway, but its top was not closed,” Welsh said.
The domestic short-haired male kitten likely fell into or climbed inside of the hollow column for warmth, according to Welsh.
“Initially, I used a ladder to look down the opening at the top,” 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.”
A handyman made an opening for Cisneros by cutting through some wiring and stucco.
Welsh said that as the handyman cut the wiring and stucco away, Cisneros heard the kitten hiss.
“With all the noise made to create an opening, I am not surprised he would be a little upset,” Cisneros said.
After the kitten was rescued and taken to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus, staffers nicknamed him Stucco because he was stuck behind the column’s stucco before being rescued.
Stucco will be available for adoption at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms starting Monday at 10 a.m., Welsh told City News Service.
The shelter will be closed on Saturday because its parking lot is being repaved.