Cat was stuck

Runaway “Odin” was grounded after being rescued

Emergency services were able to free "Odin" from his predicament.

(Bild: Stefan Schneider)

Tomcat "Odin" wanted to explore an underground cavity in Baden (Lower Austria). But his thirst for adventure had dramatic consequences: Because sand and stones slid down, the cat was stuck in the dark crevice for a day. The fire department was finally called. 

The Baden fire department reports on an unusual and challenging animal rescue. "Odin", a three-year-old male Maine Coon cat, had escaped from home and disappeared into a hole in the foundation of the forecourt. But all attempts to lure the purring explorer out of the cavity failed for the time being.

Trapped in a crevice
When "Odin" made no attempt to return to the light of day the following day, the owners feared the worst. In her distress, the woman called the fire department for help. And the firefighters tackled the problem professionally. First of all, they had to track down "Odin" in the meter-long crevice. Which was not so easy. In the beam of a hand-held spotlight, the cat's light brown fur was finally visible - behind sand and rocks. 

This allowed the firefighters to get an idea of the situation.

(Bild: FF Baden-Stadt)

A pipe inspection camera was brought in to assist.

(Bild: Stefan Schneider)

Searching with a camera
Apparently, soil had slipped into the cavity so that "Odin" could no longer reach the surface on its own. "We had to proceed with extreme caution during the further salvage operation," explains head of operations Stefan Schneider: "Simply digging or chiseling open was not possible due to the unstable subsoil." The decision was made to use a pipe inspection camera to better assess the situation and precisely locate the trapped tiger.

The helpers slowly felt their way towards the trapped "Odin".

(Bild: Stefan Schneider)

The stability of the subsoil was investigated with exploratory drillings.

(Bild: Stefan Schneider)

Drilling, chiseling - the rescue
At the same time, in consultation with the owner, some paving slabs were removed so that exploratory drilling could be carried out in the concrete foundation to investigate the ground conditions. In conjunction with the camera, the emergency services got closer and closer to the cat - until "Odin", frightened by the drilling and chiseling noises, was able to escape outside.

With a courageous grab, however, the freed prisoner was intercepted and handed over to his overjoyed owner. And she condemned the house tiger to house arrest until further notice.