A CAT fell through a 4.5-metre shaft right into a basement of St Paul’s Cathedral, where it was rescued by the RSPCA earlier this month.
A schoolgirl who had been playing within the churchyard contacted the animal rescue service after she witnessed the grey Burmese cat slip down a hole near the outer wall of the constructing, on 2 July, the BBC reports.
The cathedral was closed on the time, but a security officer opened the basement for an RSPCA officer, Sidonie Smith, who climbed down seeking the feline. She was told that the old storage basement had not been entered for 25 years.
Ms Smith said that the girl had “seen the cat run off and vanish underneath a slab of concrete. She was very upset.”
RSPCAA security guard opens the basement
She continued: “There were some steep, narrow stairs down, and it was pitch black where you entered a big chamber, which had plenty of corridors attached to it at higher levels. Fortunately, the cat had fallen on to a bed of leaves, and he or she was largely unscathed. . . She was very nervous and frightened, little question through the shock of falling from height, and I had to know hold of her.
“She was covered in fleas, and he or she had a slight graze on her chin, but, happily, nothing was broken, and he or she was in a position to move around.”
The cat, later named Paula, had been microchipped. She was treated at an RSPCA animal hospital, and is being sorted until her owner could be found.
The Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s, Dr Paula Gooder, told the Church Times on Wednesday: ”I used to be more than happy that Paula was unharmed, especially given our shared name. We would love to thank the RSPCA and all of the team involved for rescuing her. We hope that she is re-united together with her owner and supplied with a loving home.”
