Schwechat Volunteer Fire Department Rescues Seven Kittens from Empty Pool

The Location

At the scene, the helpers discovered the cause: no fewer than seven small kittens were stuck in a decommissioned pool and were trapped there. The cats would no longer have been able to leave the empty pool on their own, the fire department explained.

As stated in the release, the animals were unable to overcome the smooth walls. On an overgrown property, seven kittens had wandered into an empty pool and were no longer able to free themselves.

The Rescue

The helpers freed the small four-legged creatures from their predicament with a landing net. The seven kittens were carefully lifted out of their plight with a landing net, the statement said.

The firefighters then brought the animals to safety in a transport box and handed them over to the Brunn Animal Shelter for further care. They are now being looked after and cared for there.

According to the fire department, the rescue therefore came just in time. In Schwechat, the emergency services were called to an extraordinary animal rescue on Tuesday after a local resident near an abandoned property had repeatedly heard a plaintive meowing.

Second Animal Operation on the Same Day

For the Schwechat Fire Department, it was already the second animal operation that day. After the fire department had shortly before freed a snake from a light shaft, the next animal operation followed shortly afterwards – this time on four paws.

During the first animal rescue of the day, the emergency services had freed a snake from a light shaft. Shortly afterwards came the rescue of the seven kittens from the pool.

The fire department emphasized that the swift response of the attentive local resident was crucial. Had the emergency call been made later, the outcome for the helpless young animals could have been less favorable, the emergency services described.

Overgrown Properties as a Hazard

As the fire department further explained, overgrown and abandoned properties are repeatedly places where free-living cats retreat. Young animals in particular run the risk of getting lost in hollows, shafts, or basins and being unable to find their way out.

It is therefore important to take suspicious sounds seriously and, if in doubt, to inform the emergency services, the fire department appealed. Information from the public, such as reports of neglected animals or hazardous spots, would also be taken up by the responsible authorities.

At the Brunn Animal Shelter, the seven rescued cats are now being medically examined and nursed back to health, according to the fire department. They are now being cared for and looked after there until they can be placed with responsible new owners.

Further Procedure at the Animal Shelter

A spokesperson for the animal shelter confirmed the receipt of the animals on Thursday. The kittens had been taken in safe and sound and were now being provided with food, warmth, and veterinary checks, she said.

The Schwechat Volunteer Fire Department expressly thanked the attentive local resident whose awareness had made the rescue of the young "Samtpfoten" possible in the first place. Without the courageous call, the fire department said, they might never have learned of the animals' fate.

With regard to future cases, the fire service pointed to the need for swift reports: even the smallest observations can save lives – whether cats, snakes, or other animals in need.