Archive hour: Honey the kitten puts firefighters in a spin

Here's how we told the story of the incident in the Reporter back on Wednesday, January 14, 2004...

****************

A BONHILL resident got herself into a sticky situation the week before Christmas when a game with her brother turned into a rescue operation.

Honey the kitten was exploring the kitchen at mum Clare’s house and had great fun jumping in and out of the small holes at the bottom of her washing machine where the panel was missing.

But she discovered what goes in doesn’t always come out when she peeked through a small hole to get a better look. And got her head stuck.

Clare’s friend Laura Douglas, 24, was cat-sitting at the time at the house in Bonhill. Her five-year-old daughter Rebekah owns Casper, Honey’s brother. 

She didn’t know what to do when she saw 11 week-old Honey’s dilemma.

She said: “We put butter on to try and get it out but the way the kitten’s head is shaped meant that she could get it in but not out again!”

In a panic Laura phoned the police who told her to ring the fire brigade to come to the rescue.

She said: “The fire brigade came whizzing round the corner with all sirens on!”

After trying to slide Honey’s neck out using washing-up liquid, the four firemen decided the washing machine had to go for the chop.

Laura said: “They had to cut the whole bottom of the washing machine.

“One held the washing machine up and the other held the kitten and they cut the metal away.”

Brother Casper was sent away from all the excitement into the living room to keep Rebekah, who was very upset to see her pet in trouble, company.  

Rebekah said: “I played with Casper. He was very upset.”

Although Honey may have lost one of her nine lives she was none the worse for wear.

After a bath to get rid of the butter and washing-up liquid she was back to her usual mischief— and her favourite kitten game of scratching the wallpaper in Clare’s bedroom. Clare though, had to go out and buy a new washer.