A stray kitten had its head trapped in a storm grate for several hours Monday morning before an Auburn, Maine, firefighter used the Jaws of Life to rescue it.
The cats head somehow got stuck in the grate its head exposed to daytime traffic while the kittens body helplessly dangled below.
The kitten managed to avoid having its head crushed by cars and trucks, but even after police officers carefully removed the 150-pound grate, the kittens head remained stuck.
Rescuers tried less drastic ways of extricating the kitten, including soap, Auburn Firefighter Doug Ball said. But when nothing else worked, rescuers resorted to electric saws and the Jaws of Life to free the young cat.
The kitten was taken to the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society in Auburn, where it is expected to eventually be placed in a home.
Posted: April 19, 2006, 5:00 a.m. EST