Yes, Firefighters DO Rescue Cats

Originally posted at 9:53 p.m. March 30, 2014. Edited to add photos.

A fire department heavy rescue crew today used special saw blades to free a 12-year-old cat that became trapped in a 6-inch void between two block walls behind a home in Irvine, authorities said.

Bailey the cat became trapped between a 5-foot dividing wall on his owners' property in the 14800 block of Pinehaven Road and a 10-foot sound wall that was installed by the city when the street next to Pinehaven was built, said Capt. Steve Concialdi, public information officer for the Orange County Fire Authority.

The well-fed gray feline had been mewing for hours before being freed at 2:45 p.m. by a crew that used special concrete saw blades to gain access, Concialdi said.

"They kept on hearing it and they finally realized where it was," he said of Bailey's owners.

Irvine police animal control officers used a long pole with a syringe attached to sedate Bailey prior to his rescue, Concialdi said, adding the cat had a happy reunion with his owners before being taken to Irvine Veterinary Services to be checked out.

"It was like a son to them," Concialdi said.

--City News Service