Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/kitten-survives-storm-drain-named-pennywise/

If you live in the city, or even in a small town, you probably have a storm drain not very far away from you. We don’t give them much thought, but they do benefit us in many ways. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the experience for a tiny kitten in New Orleans.

The kitten was a stray and had already experienced a number of problems in life. It must be difficult to live on the streets as a young feline, but this kitten’s life was about to get worse and then exceedingly better.

You see, he got stuck in a storm drain in New Orleans and was struggling to survive.

The Louisiana SPCA received a call about the kitten after he became trapped. The ginger cat was stuck down inside, likely after slipping through the grate. Since the storm drain was sealed, rescuers were going to have a difficult time getting him out.

In addition, they had no idea how long he was already in the storm drain but they knew he would drown if they didn’t act quickly.

Officers from Louisiana SPCA Humane Law & Rescue showed up on the scene, along with the New Orleans fire department. There was a sealed grate over the storm drain and it was cemented in place. The roadway was busy, so they had to block it off and then get to work.

The firefighters worked as a team above the little feline as he continued to meow for help. When they were finally able to pry the storm great loose, they reached in to rescue the cat.

The little kitten seemed to be in good health but was definitely frightened and soaked to the bone. The SPCA officers took the rescued kitten to be checked by a veterinarian and cared for at the shelter.

Although the kitten was feisty, he wasn’t quite old enough to be adopted. The staff at the shelter decided that a foster home was a much better choice, but before they sent him to his home, they needed to provide a name.

Rather than simply pulling a name out of a hat, they went on Facebook to ask for suggestions. Some of the obvious suggestions included Stormy and Blaze, but they knew they needed something a little different.

Since there was so much scariness that surrounded his rescue from the storm drain, they decided to name him after the clown in Stephen King’s book. That’s right, they named him Pennywise!

Pennywise is still in foster care for a few weeks and then the shelter will be looking for a forever home. His start may have been a scary one, but his life is sure to be full of happiness.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog