A cat had to be rescued from behind a bathroom wall in a Vienna apartment over the weekend after getting stuck in a utility shaft. The incident occurred in the city’s Favoriten district.
The cat had been missing all day Saturday, and it wasn’t until the owner heard faint sounds coming from behind the bathroom wall that the animal’s location was discovered. At 3:30 p.m., the man alerted the Vienna professional fire brigade, which responded with a specialized animal rescue vehicle, according to a press release. The operation was ultimately successful.
Firefighters found a small hole at the bottom of the wall where the toilet’s flushing unit was mounted—likely the entry point for the cat. The team removed the flush tank and enlarged the hole to gain access, fire department spokesperson Christian Feiler reported.
The cat was wedged between pipes and another wall. Using a hydraulic spreader, the crew carefully pushed the pipes away from the wall to create enough space to free the trapped animal.
The cat was unharmed and was returned to its owner following the rescue.
