On July 28, a cat was discovered stuck in a sewer in a stadium in Guingamp, France. To help the kitten, a remarkable rescue operation was carried out without a hitch.
Pierre Henry-Dufeil is a tour guide at the Roudourou soccer stadium in Guingamp, a commune in Northwestern France. During summer, he leads groups of soccer enthusiasts into the sports facility.
Usually, these popular tours go smoothly without interruption. However, this Thursday in July, things were different.
Pierre heard the yowling of a kitten somewhere in the building. It wasn’t the first time he caught the noise.
The tour guide had already noticed some noise that Monday. As a result, he had left some food and water for the creature.
This time around, the meows sounded desperate. Pierre Henry-Dufeil said
“It broke my heart to hear him meow himself to death.”
The kitten had probably been in a very narrow utility hole for a week. It looked approximately six weeks old.
Pierre Henry-Dufeil, who also works at a local radio station, Radio Bonheur, decided to launch a rescue operation with the assistance of his colleague Gatan Pinel and Pinel’s sister.
It turned out to be no easy affair, but the team was resolute. They would put this puss out of its misery.
The improvised rescue team had to make do with the means at hand.
A DIY rescue for the kitten
Pierre started by bending some hangers that were used to display jerseys. Then, following his wife’s advice, he tried to stretch a shopping bag, but it was too small.
In addition, the team joined two flags of the soccer club together to be more stable than the bag. After countless failed efforts, at least fifteen attempts according to the journalist, they eventually opted for a wine bag.
This sack belonged to Pierre’s mother, who had forgotten to take it out of the car. With their patchwork tool, the trio successfully retrieved the cat.
The animal came out very dirty. His saviors washed him in the visiting locker room before the game.
After an examination by the veterinarian the next day, the kitty was doing quite fine. A foster family took him in while they figured out a more permanent plan.
Later, Pierre Henry-Dufeil shared the good news in an interview.
Once the pet had fully recovered, he would go to Pierre’s best friend, who lives in Saint-Malo, an hour and a half drive from Guingamp.