Cat rescuers are horrified to find kitty trapped in 4-inch wall gap – are they already too late?

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Cat rescuers are horrified to find kitty trapped in 4-inch wall gap – are they already too late?

Apr 16, 2026 6:30 PM EDT

Cat rescuers horrified to find kitty trapped in 4-inch wall gap – are they already too late?

This horrific photo is truly not for the claustrophobic! Alfie the cat had to spend many hours trapped in this horribly tiny gap between two walls.

By Christian Norm

Portsmouth, UK - This terrifying case photo is truly not for the claustrophobic! Alfie the cat had to spend many hours trapped in this horribly tiny gap between two walls.

What a sight! Alfie the cat was wedged between two walls. © RSPCA

The turning point only came with the animal welfare organization RSPCA, which had to work for five hours to rescue him.

What the rescuers found out about the kitty afterwards finally took their breath away.

The rescue happened in mid-March, the RSPCA said in a recent press release.

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"We were concerned about the cat because the caller said he was last seen at around 3am, so he could have been stuck in the gap for some time. Despite this, he was bright and alert," said RSPCA officer Sarah Whatton.

The poor animal had fallen into a narrow gap between two walls, which was only 4 inches wide.

Because Whatton was simply unable to pull Alfie out, she called her colleague, paramedic Morgan Ellison, for help. She also alerted the fire department.

"We tried for hours to free the cat; we tried prising sticks underneath him to support his weight while pulling with the grasper but due to the rubble underneath we couldn’t get enough purchase," Ellison explained.

In the end, no one was able to free the animal, so more help was needed. Eventually, it was decided to have Alfie sedated by a vet using a makeshift long syringe to pull him out.

Thanks to this method, the cat was freed.

"It took all three of us to pull him out and by some absolute miracle he came out unharmed," says Ellison.

Cat owner Mandy Davis provides an update on Facebook

It turned out that the four-legged friend had been missing since 2022!

Fortunately, the data on his microchip was still up to date, so it was easy to contact the cat's owners.

"They were shocked and delighted to have their cat – Alfie – back after all this time," said Whatton.

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"I spoke to Alfie’s owners the next day to learn that he is settling back in at home very well and has been enjoying chin rubs and purring loudly."

Alfie's owner has also since posted an update on Facebook.

In April, Mandy Davis thanked the helpers who rescued her cat and encouraged other people not to give up if they have lost one of their pets.