Animal lovers, rejoice! A local concerned citizen posted on local social media about a kitten that was trapped somewhere on the Highway 61 bridge over the Mississippi River. The original post had the kitten over the water on a pillar but by the time “would be rescuers” arrived, it had already moved.
Many thought that the original post was some kind of cruel prank and over the weekend, the details became less, and no one had found the kitten. Of course, many feared the worst since no one had heard or seen it for a few days. That was until Randy Stenger was out on the patio of the Quarry Taphouse.
“I could hear it meowing all the way over on our patio,” said Stenger.
Stenger and several of his crew members mobilized in an attempt to rescue the kitten. That quickly escalated to three members of the Minnesota Department of Transportation, three Hastings Police Officers, Jake Gartzke from the Hastings Public Works, concerned citizens including someone from Hastings Veterinary Clinic and several onlookers.
It took over an hour to come up with an acceptable plan, get the appropriate approval and equipment to facilitate the rescue. During that time, the concerned citizens worked to build some trust with the stuck animal by offering food and playing a loop of a cat meowing from their phone.
The rescue concluded around 4:40 p.m. with the kitten transported to Hastings Veterinary Clinic to be checked out before deciding the next move to get it into a home.
There were plenty of offers on social media of both names for the kitten and people wanting to take the adorable Siamese kitty home. Girder, Bridgerton, Spiral, River and many other clever names were presented as options.