Firefighters rescue kittens stuck in wall

TEAYS VALLEY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Firefighters rescuing cats from trees may be the ultimate firefighter cliché, but members of the Teays Valley Fire Department got a call Monday that was a first.

A woman at a shopping center reported kittens were stuck in a storefront.

“We really haven’t had cats in walls, because usually walls aren’t very exposed,” Capt. Joey Puterbaugh said.

Puterbaugh says on Memorial Day, a car crashed into the front of a hobby and craft business, leaving behind enough of a crevice for a feline mother to raise a litter in.

“They just made a little home there,” he said.

Kittens were stuck in a void space between the exterior block wall and the interior wall.

“The business owner was kind of surprised they were in there,” Puterbaugh said.

From the inside, firefighters cut a hole and lured the two kittens out.

“We were able to use flashlights and kind of get into a little void space to see them,” Lt. Wes Amores said.

“They were a little scared at first just not knowing what was going on,” Puterbaugh said. “Once you picked them up and held them, they clinged onto you and just wanted to be held.”

“They got underneath my collar and fell asleep,” Amores said.

Puterbaugh says another person managed to get a third kitten out before firefighters arrived. He says the kittens will be staying together. The woman from Barboursville, who had called the fire department to begin with, took all the kittens home with her.