Farmington Hills firefighters rescue newborn kitten trapped in pipe

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – Farmington Hills firefighters rescued a kitten Thursday that "appeared to be no more than two days old" from a concrete culvert underneath a street near 9 Mile and Farmington roads.

Firefighters met with a nearby homeowner and found that the kitten was trapped about 10 feet inside the culvert.

Using a flashlight, a pike pole and a highly-adhesive trauma dressing normally applied to a gunshot victim's chest, Lt. Jason Baloga and Inspector Dan Rickard created a tool that pulled the kitten out without injury.

The kitten was taken to the Blue Pearl Veterinary Hospital in Southfield.

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"While our focus is obviously providing the best possible fire protection and emergency medical services to the citizens in our community, our firefighters have also rescued countless animals over the years," said Farmington Hills Fire Chief Jon Unruh. "Many of us are animal lovers and situations like this definitely make everyone involved feel good."