PICTURED: Cute kitten rescued from 18ft hole

The little black and white ball of fluff was discovered after pub staff heard frightened meowing coming from a dark, narrow gap down the side of the Mailcoach pub (below) on Wellgate yesterday (Monday).

The staff member alerted the RSPCA who attended at around 2pm along with an officer from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.

RSPCA Insp Sandra Dransfield said: “This poor little kitten had fallen off the pub’s flat roof into a deep gap with no way out but upwards. I was joined by an RSPCA colleague and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, who were keen to help out.

“It was clear that in order to rescue him, we would have to work from the flat roof above and that proved very tricky, due to the huge drop, the narrowness of the gap and the dangerously rough walls. In addition, because he was probably a feral cat (a non-domestic animal that had been born outside) he was very nervous of humans.  

“To make matters worse, there was a lot of debris and rubbish at the bottom, and the kitten kept disappearing from sight.  

“We used two catch pole sets, one with a swan hook to try to keep him from going into the even narrower gap, and one with a net on the end.  We weren’t having much success with the net, but the swan-catcher, which has a crook at the end of it, finally did the trick. The little kitten climbed onto it, and we very carefully raised him back up the gap with him clinging on. And just in case he fell off, we held a small bucket underneath to catch him.  

“After a rescue which took more than two hours, we were relieved to be able to bring this little kitten up to safety. He had a lot of dirt in his eyes and mouth but otherwise seemed unharmed. I took him to Peak Vets in Sheffield, where he is being cared for and closely monitored.   

“We have named him Turpin, after the famous highwayman, because he was rescued from the Mailcoach pub.

“When Turpin has made a full recovery we are hoping he can join a group of four other kittens I had rescued earlier that day, which are now at the RSPCA’s South Yorkshire Animal Centre in Bawtry. When they are old enough, we hope they will all find forever homes.”

To report cruelty or an animal in distress please call the RSPCA emergency line on 0300 1234 999. 

To help the RSPCA rescue, rehabilitate and rehome animals, visit www.rspca.org.uk/give.