Aluva: In a joint operation, the Fire and Rescue Department and animal rights activists rescued a cat stranded atop a metro rail pillar for five days.

The incident took place at Metro Pillar 29, 40 feet tall, on the National Highway service Road near Aluva Market, where the cat had climbed up via a cargo truck parked nearby. By the time it returned, the truck had left. Traders in the area tried to keep the cat fed by tossing food onto the pillar, but its condition continued to deteriorate.

Animal rights activists were alerted and arrived with a high-tech crane, but the cat hid inside a crevice on the pillar. Seeking additional support, they called in the Fire and Rescue Department. Although the officials approached the cat with a net, it leapt onto a fire tender parked below and then scrambled into the godown of a nearby fruit wholesale store. After about half an hour of effort, the cat was finally caught.

The cat sustained an injury to its right paw during the fall and was immediately taken to a veterinary hospital for treatment.