A California woman felt shocked and frightened when she saw a young kitten trapped on a nearby rooftop. Acting quickly, she reached out to emergency services to help bring it to safety. However, when nobody would show up, she and her neighbors had to take matters into their own hands.
Dee (@dmc1777) allegedly begged the Downey Fire Department and Downey Animal Control to “do better” after a fiasco involving a kitten in her neighborhood. Dee said that a 3-month-old kitten was trapped on a rooftop in her neighborhood for almost an entire 24 hours! When she made some calls to Downey services in the neighborhood, they said they couldn’t help her. The fire department told her it “was not an emergency” and they only use their resources for “things like cardiac arrest.” She said speaking with the fire company made it sound like she was “being a nuisance” to them.
Dee had the same response from Animal Control. They said it was “not considered urgent” and that someone would eventually come out to see if the animal was in distress. They gave her a second number, and she called to find out what was happening. Eventually, they sent her on a back-and-forth with no answers, and nobody came to check out the kitten.
Dee recorded the kitten on the rooftop, meowing and crying out for help as it wandered around. This was right in the middle of immense heat in California. Eventually, Dee and her neighbor decided to rent a ladder since nobody owned one. They climbed up the ladder to rescue the kitten, who was unable to move at one point due to the roof being too hot. According to Dee, “She’s currently at the vet to make sure she’s okay. I’ll be adopting her and making sure she has the best life ever.”
Even though there was a happy ending for this kitten, it’s clear that Dee is unhappy with Downey services for not responding to a kitten in distress. As she asks, “How is a young kitten trapped on a roof, crying, during one of the hottest weeks Southern California has experienced, not considered distress?” She also questions: “What happens the next time an animal is trapped, injured, or helpless? Who are residents supposed to call when the resources we’re told exist don’t respond?”
The video immediately sparked reactions from commenters, many of whom shared Dee’s sentiment and anger. One commenter demanded, “There’s a fire station at every corner of the city and not one could come?!! Smh.” Another commenter stated, “As someone who has done foster and rescue it angers me how much nobody cares for animals. It’s never an emergency. Animal control never helps either. What are they there for then? Ridiculous.”
Commenters also offered suggestions for those potentially running into the same situation. One suggested: “For future reference if anyone needs to hear it, if you see a cat stuck in a tree or on a roof call a gutter cleaning company.” Another told Dee, “Please go to your next city council meeting and bring a group to call out this embarrassing response from the city!” Commenters continue to share their opinions and anger toward Downey Fire and Animal Control.
