Kitten gets new life after rescue

COLTS NECK - The combined efforts of public works employees, Colts Neck police officers, Monmouth County SPCA employees and Monmouth County SPCA volunteers resulted in the rescue of a kitten trapped in the sewer on May 21.

According to a press release, efforts to rescue the kitten had begun the night before when public works employees Ray Jiminez and Reid Kedler assisted SPCA volunteer coordinator Francesca Alexander in her attempts to extract the kitten from the storm drain.

Despite the rain, the group, joined by Colts Neck officer Matthew Miyakawa, worked late into the night to rescue the kitten, later aptly named Trouble, including opening the storm drains and coaxing the cat out with food.

Efforts were forced to stop overnight, but Alexander returned early the next morning, joined by public works employees Ray Drager and Ken Olson, who helped in the successful rescue of Trouble, when they persuaded him to the end of a sewer pipe and pulled him out.

While many people assisted in Trouble's rescue, including two volunteers from the SPCA, Alexander is particularly gracious to two public works employees.

"Ray Drager and Ken Olson are heroes," Alexander said of the men, grateful for their persistence and compassion.

After being removed from the sewer, Trouble was taken to the Monmouth County SPCA where he was cleaned, fed, is currently being cared for and will soon be available for adoption.

The Monmouth County SPCA is an animal shelter and clinic in Eatontown that cares for animals who have been abandoned, can no longer be cared for, or are in need of shelter, food, or medical attention. For more information, contact Francesca Alexander at 732-542-1036 or e-mail francesca@monmouthcountyspca.org.

Additional information about the Monmouth County SPCA can be found at www.monmouthcountyspca.org.