Draining experience: Keagan Nando the kitten rescued from mall’s storm water system

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It took nine days, but animal rescue workers finally rescued Keagan Nando.

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The male kitten, officially named Keagan Nando because of the feline’s hideout near two eateries in the Town Center of Virginia Beach -- Keagan’s Irish Pub and Restaurant and Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken -- was retrieved from the mall’s stormwater system on Saturday, WTKR-TV reported.

“This is why we NEVER give up on a cat in need!” Billy the Kidden Rescue, a nonprofit that helps trap wayward cats, wrote in a Facebook post.

The rescue organization received help from different organizations in order to rescue the orange kitten, WAVY-TV reported.

Trap director Joyce Rutti said she knew that coaxing Keagan Nando out of the drain would be difficult once they assessed the situation on Nov. 2, according to WTKR.

“We knew this was not going to be a normal rescue considering the size of the drains,” Rutti told the television station. “Not a size for any human to be able to crawl through. Could not even fit a regular trap down there so we had to get creative.”

The 6-inch pipe drain made it difficult, and workers had to maneuver a trap vertically down the opening.

Workers tied sardines to the back of the trap but had little success. Finally, there was a breakthrough on Saturday night, WTKR reported.

Rutti said that Keagan was “meowing away” at the feeding station she had set up several days earlier.

“We wanted to try to keep him in one area,” Rutti told the television. “We knew a trap was probably not going to work. Another volunteer had a catch pole ready.”

While the kitten was enjoying his meal, the trap team went for the save.

“I was able to put some shrimp scampi down there with grabbers, right along the side of the pipe so he would have to come out completely in order to eat it,” Rutti told WTKR. “As soon as he came out, the other rescue member was able to catch him with the pole, then I immediately reached down there and grabbed him for extra security.

“There was no way we were letting him go.”

Billy the Kidden Rescue wrote on Facebook that the organization has received numerous requests to adopt Keagan Nando.

“It’ll be hard to top Keagan’s incredible rescue story, and we understand why SOOOO many of our wonderful supporters want to adopt him! Of course, there’s only ONE of him!” the nonprofit wrote. “While he is not available for adoption at this time and we do not accept early applications, we currently have 168 (yes, 1-6-8 ) kittens and cats who ARE ready for their forever homes -- and most of them have pretty amazing rescue stories too!”