All hands on deck to rescue kitten in Richards Bay

Trapped behind a car’s dashboard for more than five hours, a 10-week-old kitten was given a new lease on life last week when he was eventually freed.

The rescue operation involved numerous Richards Bay SPCA staff members and inspectors, as well as a caravan park employee, and ranks high as one of their most labour-intensive operations.

As if being trapped in such a small space for that long wasn’t bad enough for the poor cat, this little one endured the drive from Mtubatuba to Richards Bay in its tiny enclosure.

According to SPCA manager Shelly Prinsloo, the kitten jumped into the car through its open door while the driver, Zandile Ndlovu was filling up with petrol.

‘The little cat went straight behind the car’s dashboard as soon as it jumped into the car,’ said Shelly.
‘Zandile drove carefully and slowly to the Richards Bay Caravan Park where she works, and notified the SPCA.’

On-call SPCA staff Michael Msane and Nkosi Mthembu were the first to arrive on scene and had no idea what they were in for. The kitten had crawled into the tiniest space possible, the only course of action being to remove the vehicle’s dashboard panel by panel.

Juan Raschke, who is head of security at the caravan park, undertook the painstaking operation of not only removing the dashboard, but putting it all back together again once the kitten was free.

By the end of the day, the SPCA’s Shelly Prinsloo, Yolandi Raschke, Wynand Strauss and Jabu Mlondo had joined in the rescue operation.

‘Thanks to everyone who assisted in the rescue of this precious animal, most notably Juan for removing the panels, and Zandile for offering to take the bus home while we continued with the rescue,’ said Shelly.

Affectionately named Dash by SPCA staff, the little kitten is safe in the care of the Richards Bay SPCA and went up for adoption (Thursday).

Anyone interested in adopting the adventurous kitten can contact the SPCA on 035 7532086. Strict adoption protocols apply.