Volunteers save cats trapped in Ruwi pit

MUSCAT: A mother cat and her four kittens were rescued from a four-metre-deep uncovered pit in Ruwi on Saturday, following a determined effort by Mohammed Shakir and a group of volunteers.
The incident began last Tuesday when Shakir’s son, Shazan, heard faint meowing from a pit in the Mumtaz area. Upon investigation, the family discovered four kittens trapped inside, with their mother having jumped in after them in an apparent attempt to save them.
Unable to climb out, the cats remained stranded for three days, surviving on food and water lowered into the pit by Shakir’s family.
“We couldn’t find a ladder tall enough at first,” Shakir said. “So we made sure they had food and water until we could rescue them safely.”
On Saturday, Shakir returned to the site with friends Ashkar, Naushad, Shemir, Sharif and Zahra. Using a tall ladder, the group successfully brought the cat family to safety.
The rescue has since drawn widespread praise on social media, with animal welfare groups commending the team for their compassion, persistence and swift action.
Ahmed al Maimani, a resident of Mumtaz area and an animal lover, praised the rescuers. “Taking time to save a cat stuck in a pit takes patience, kindness, and guts. Not everyone would stop their day, get dirty, and problem-solve to pull a scared animal to safety, but they did. Thank you for choosing compassion when it was easier to walk away. The world needs more people like you,” Ahmed said.