Firefighter Paul Simpson pictured with Tubs the Kitten

Fire fighters from Red Watch at Wallsend Community Fire Station, part of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, were recently sent to an emergency animal rescue at a property in North Shields; as there were reports of an eight-week old kitten being trapped inside a bathroom wall.

TWFRS Fire Control received the call from the distressed resident at 03:16am in the early hours of Friday morning.  One appliance was dispatched to the flat in North Tyneside, where the crew helped to locate and save the missing moggy.

“The firefighters were amazing.  I felt instantly reassured as they talked me through the rescue plan,” said Danielle Douglas.

Danielle, aged 22, works as a carer, and has lived in the North East for over ten-years after moving to the region from Wigan in Greater Manchester.

Danielle had become the proud recipient of the adorable fluffy bundle only six-hours previous to the bathroom drama. She explained how before the commotion unfolded she was preparing the kitten’s sleeping area ready for her new flatmate to settle-in.

“One minute I was watching him curled up asleep on the floor, the next moment he’d disappeared in to thin air!” said Danielle.

Danielle searched the spare room and the bathroom leaving behind treats and catnip to entice the adventurous kitten out of his hiding place.

She continued: “I had an idea to search the internet for mammy cat purring noises that I could play around the flat. This worked as the kitten responded to the cat calling sounds.

“The resulting meowing was coming from behind the bathroom wall.  I was beside myself with worry as I thought that the kitten would be petrified as he was just getting used to his new surroundings.”

Danielle Douglas pictured with Tubs the Kitten

The little kitten had managed to crawl through a gap between the ceramic tiling and the toilet piping before going on a journey between the hollow wall.

After an hour of unsuccessfully trying to retrieve her new pet, Danielle decided to call for help and rang the Fire Service.

Upon arrival, the firefighters located the kitten from behind some plasterboard after removing a small number of tiles and the bath panelling.

The kitten, now subsequently called Tubs, after his bathroom adventures was pulled out by self-confessed cat-lover Firefighter Paul Simpson.

Station Manager Martin Farrow of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said:

“Throughout the working week our firefighters get dispatched to a variety of different jobs in the community.  There’s never one day that is ever the same. This rescue of Tubs the kitten is a perfect example of how our crews use their training and judgement to assess the situation and resolve the matter with this particular incident having a happy ending.  It was lovely to see photographs of Tubs and Danielle peacefully reunited.”

The final words come from Danielle who said: “The firefighters were really gentle with Tubs and made sure that we were both okay before they left. They even did a safe and well check on my smoke alarms on their way out!”

The crew from Red Watch at Wallsend Community Fire Station left Danielle and Tubs in North Shields at 03:31am on Friday morning.