March 29, 2024

Cat rescued from manhole in Colfax

After a brief stint in a cold and dark storm drain near Colfax-Mingo High School last Wednesday, a feisty orange tabby cat is safe and sound above ground.

“Wednesday afternoon we got a call from the Colfax Chief of Police that there was a cat in a manhole near the high school, so a couple of our Animal Control Officers and I went to check it out,” said Jasper County Animal Rescue League Animal Control Officer Jill Harter.

“There was no ladder, and they wouldn’t let us climb down into it, so we made a contraption with a crate and lowered it down, but it didn’t work,” she added.

From there, Harter received a call from a JCARL Board member advising that they’d have a crew out to Colfax to rescue the cat by Thursday evening. After a handful of failed attempts, the rescue crew was finally able to lift the cat out of the manhole using a live trap.

As for the cat’s condition, whom the ACOs at JCARL have named Johnny, Harter says he is doing just fine.

“He was a little cold and a little skinny, but not too bad,” she said.

Johnny has thus been recuperating at JCARL for a week, and is now available for adoption.

“He is a very, very sweet cat,” Jill said of the 1-year-old, house-trained tabby. Additionally, JCARL’s website describes him as very friendly, despite his experience in the storm drain.

To adopt Johnny or any of his four-legged companions, contact JCARL at (641) 792-5407 or visit the shelter at 5411 Liberty Ave.