In July, my sister Billie told me about a tiny feral Siamese kitten that had been rescued from a storm drain by firemen. Billie’s friend Tammy had supervised the rescue of the kitten from its dire predicament. We have a fondness for the Siamese breed and feral kittens, so we were very interested how this kitten came to Tammy. Having never heard of a Siamese who was feral , my curiosity — which I share in common with cats — led me to follow up to get the details.
I didn’t get the whole story until five months later. I was in California for Christmas, when Billie and I visited Tammy and Destiny (the kitten’s apt name).
On a hot day in July, Tammy found two boys at a grate above a storm drain pointing at a tiny kitten who had fallen into the underground system of pipes. Tammy contacted the fire department and requested help. The fire department responded, with the warning that any emergency calls would override the rescue effort for the kitten. Firemen went into manholes about 100 feet on each side of the kitten’s location and tried to lure the frightened little animal to within reach. The kitten would come near the firemen, but would scamper back into the security of the pipes before anyone could grab her. Eventually the one fireman ran a water hose down into the pipe and washed her into waiting hands of firemen at the other end.
San Jose was in the middle of a heat wave at the time. The high temperature for that day was 110 degrees. The firemen expended much time and effort for this kitten under the streets of a busy city when they could have been relaxing in the shade.
Tammy took the exhausted, dirty kitten to the vet and got her checked out. She was healthy and ready for a good home. Fortunately for the kitten, Tammy had a feeling that the kitten was meant for her. Destiny joined Tammy’s household as a new member of the family.
When I met her, Destiny was a pretty, active adolescent with a lot of energy who loves to play. Destiny reminded me of our cat Blue, who was the same age as Destiny the previous Christmas. Tammy had the perfect toy for a playful adolescent Siamese, feathers on a stick, and I was able to get Destiny to make many acrobatic jumps.
I felt a bond with this young cat. She was affectionate and I had great fun playing with her. Like our feral rescue Sweetie Wildcat, she was pulled from certain death into a wonderful home by some caring, perceptive people. We all need a helping hand once in a while, especially the young and orphaned.
