For nearly two weeks, commuters passing through Kochi kept looking up at the same strange sight - a lone cat sitting high above the ground on a metro pillar, refusing or perhaps unable to come down. And slowly, the animal became a local concern.
The cat had somehow ended up on a narrow ledge along the Kochi Metro Rail Limited corridor near the Kaloor Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium stretch. About 50 feet in the air, it stayed there day after day. People clicked photos, recorded videos, and shared them online, hoping someone would notice and help before the situation turned tragic.
The rescue
Metro staff didn’t ignore it. They tried feeding the cat from below, but rescuing it safely was another story. The height, the narrow space, and the active metro line made everything complicated. So officials decided a proper rescue plan was needed. For a brief window around 4.45 pm, metro services were paused for about 17 minutes while teams assessed how the operation could even be carried out.
But the real rescue had to wait. And it began late at night, after the last trains stopped running. An Instagram video shared by @malik_o.i captured the heroic and heartwarming rescue of the cat.
Around 11.30 pm, power supply along that stretch was shut down to keep everyone safe. Fire and Rescue Services personnel joined hands with animal welfare volunteers. A hydraulic crane was brought in. Climbers prepared their gear. It wasn’t dramatic in a cinematic way - just slow, careful work in the quiet of the night.
Meow mission accomplished
The rescuers moved cautiously, inch by inch, trying not to scare the already frightened animal. And after hours of effort, sometime around 1.30 am, they finally secured the cat and brought it down safely.
By then, a small crowd had gathered nearby. Residents and late-night commuters watched silently, almost holding their breath. When the cat touched the ground, applause broke out. Relief more than celebration.
The animal was quickly taken to a veterinary hospital for a check-up. Officials later said the cat had survived more than two weeks with very little food, which made the rescue feel even more extraordinary.
What started as a worrying sight above a busy metro corridor ended as one of those small, human moments cities sometimes produce - strangers caring about a tiny life stuck far out of reach, and a group of people coming together just to bring it home safely.
Image: Instagram
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