PICS: Three-month-old kitten rescued after being trapped on bridge ledge overnight in Cork city
Dave Varian and Dinny Kiely with the kitten which was rescued from underneath Eamon de Valera Bridge on the River Lee in Cork City. Pic: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision
It was a case of “Loki by name, lucky by nature” today as a three-month-old kitten was lured to safety from a precarious perch beneath Cork’s Éamon de Valera Bridge.
The kitten, called Loki, which had escaped from its owner on the way to the vet on Tuesday afternoon, had ran onto the Albert Quay wharf and climbed along a ledge underneath the Éamon de Valera Bridge, before hiding inside a shaft in the underside of the bridge.
When Loki refused all calls to come out of hiding, his owner, Lidia Riera Roja, who had only recently taken ownership of the kitten, called Cork City Fire Brigade, which was unable to reach the missing pet.
The Fire Brigade called Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery (CCMPSAR), and its volunteers stayed on the scene until late on Tuesday night.
CCMPSAR secretary David Varian told The Echo the kitten had ventured out of its cubby hole at one point and had almost come close enough to be rescued, before retreating back in for the night.
Returning to the bridge early this morning, CCMPSAR volunteers David Varian and Dinny Kiely rang Caitriona Twomey of Cork Penny Dinners, and Caitriona and Penny Dinners volunteer Tomas Kalinauskas sourced a cat cage from the Glanmire Cat Hospital.
Planting a trail of Whikas cat-food along the bridge ledge and into the cage, the volunteers could only wait alongside Loki’s owner Lidia, and Loki’s previous owner Federico Rigau, as the minutes and hours dragged by.
Then, on the stroke of 1pm, a little black-and-white face looked around the edge of the bridge wall, as Loki followed a trail of lunch into the cage and the trap was sprung.
Reunited with Loki, Lidia expressed her gratitude to all involved, and said she will buy a stronger carrying case for her kitten, and Federico suggested she secure it “with padlocks”.
Loki, who is named after the Norse god of mischief, was last sighted this afternoon, being carried across the Éamon de Valera Bridge on his way to the vet’s, his mischief curtailed at least for now.
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