Auckland kitten found stuck in umbrella pole proves he’s a ‘tiny fighter’

An Auckland kitten overcame all odds of recovery after being stuck inside an outdoor umbrella pole.

After a member of the public reached out to the team at Māngere SPCA when they saw a stray kitten stuck in a metal patio umbrella pole, the team arrived at a “worrying scene”.

The kitten was visibly distressed and not moving.

Thankfully, they were able to gently remove the kitten's head from the pole and get him out safely, but the journey to recovery would be anything but straightforward.

“When our Māngere Centre team received a call about a kitten stuck in a patio umbrella, they weren't sure what to expect – but found Albert, proving himself to be a tiny fighter,” SPCA NZ wrote in a Facebook update.

This little kitten's journey back to health was full of ups and downs, but he was brave every step of the way.

“Unfortunately, it seemed as though the kitten might have been stuck there for a bit of the night, as he was very cold to the touch,” Community Support Lead Zoe said. 

As well as showing signs of hypothermia, the eight-week-old kitten was heavily flea-ridden.

After about an hour spent warming up in emergency blankets and on a snuggle safe heating pad, the kitten became more responsive. He was monitored overnight, and the Māngere team thought he needed a name - Albert!

Naturally, Albert was a bit afraid after his rescue, so he hid in his cage, hissing if anyone got too close, but after a bit of extra love, care and patience over the next few days, Albert started to “come out of his shell”.

Though that wasn’t the end for this little guy, Albert grew weak, experiencing gastro and refused to eat for 48 hours.

“The situation was touch and go, and our vets were deeply concerned,” the team at SPCA said.

It was critical for him to eat and drink to have any chance of recovery.

Just over a week later, as Albert showed signs of improvement, he began to show signs of cat flu, pushing his recovery efforts to the limit.

“The team gave their very best efforts to ensure that this tiny fighter pulled through. With medication and being closely supervised and cared for, he surprised them all again with his recovery.”

Finally ready for adoption, the SPCA team were stoked to see him head to his forever home after just one day.