A young cat is safe and resting after he was rescued from an irrigation pipe in Indio on Saturday.
A woman walking her dog Friday reported loud meows in an area along Jackson Street, north of the 10 Freeway, according to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.
When Animal Services was unable to reach the one-year-old cat, crews from the Imperial Irrigation District were called to assist in the rescue effort.
After several hours of manual digging, crews were able to rescue the cat Saturday afternoon.
It is unknown how the cat became trapped in the pipe, but Animal Services believe the cat accessed the pipe and fell down deeper into a collection vault area.
The cat, nicknamed "Piper," suffered minor injuries to his left eye, according to Animal Services spokesman John Welsh.
The animal was being treated at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms and will be put up for adoption if an owner doesn't come forward.
