Modesto firefighters rescue kitten tangled in backyard soccer net
A feral kitten tangled in a backyard soccer net was freed Monday morning by Modesto firefighters.
Engine 4 responded to the 1400 block of Fordham Avenue at around 9 a.m. after the home’s residents spotted the young cat caught in the net under their patio cover, Battalion Chief Jim Black said.
The homeowners cut the kitten loose from the larger net, but a section about 10 inches long remained wrapped tightly around the animal. Firefighters donned gloves and used trauma shears — scissors with a blunt tip to prevent injury — to slowly snip away the rest of the net.
“Once the cat was free, it took off — it was a stray,” Black said.
Animal rescue calls aren’t the department’s most common, but they happen about once a month, Black said. Firefighters have retrieved ducklings from storm drains, unlocked pets from cars and, in one memorable case, helped a horse out of a collapsed septic tank.
Black said it’s all part of the job. “We’re the everything department,” he said. “If it’s a problem — whether it’s a fire, a flooding house or a trapped animal — we’ll do what we can to help.”
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 12:42 PM.
