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Cat recovering after ‘feel-good’ drainpipe rescue

A cat in Malden, Mass., is doing well after being trapped in a sewer drainpipe until rescue workers freed him with a pump on Tuesday. “This is a feel-good rescue, probably the best of the year,” an official said.
/ Source: TODAY staff and wire

A cat in Malden, Mass., is recovering after being trapped in a sewer drainpipe until rescue workers freed him with a pump on Tuesday.

The cat, a 3-year-old domestic shorthair who is being called "Corey" by shelter workers, had been sliding in and out of the sewer for several days, but got stuck after it rained in the area.

Firefighters came to the rescue and blasted water into one end of the drain, with a plan to push the cat out and into a net held by animal control officers.

The cat was still stuck, so animal rescue officer Mark Vogel went into the sewer. "When I saw him in there, he was probably seven feet away from us, but he was just standing there trying to hold his ground," he told WHDH-TV.

Firefighters pumped more water into the drain and crews were able to grab the feline.

"This is … a feel-good rescue, probably the best of the year," Malden Animal Control's Kevin Alkins told WHDH-TV.

For now, Corey is staying in a shelter and is doing well.

"He's been checked by the vet and he's healthy," said Marianne Gasbarro, manager of the Boston Animal Care and Adoption Center. "At first he was very nervous, but now he's coming out of his shell … he's very social and getting more affectionate."

The Animal Rescue League of Boston is trying to find his owner, but no one has come forward to claim the cat. If he's an orphan, they will put him up for adoption.