Apparently, there’s a new “jail cat” at the Santa Barbara County Jail–but it’s not what you might think.
A kitten was rescued from the inside a wall last week at the new Santa Barbara County Jail which is currently under construction in north county just outside of Santa Maria.
Construction workers explained that they heard the kitten around 6 a.m. last week. Low and behold, they realized that he’d become wedged in a wall of the unfinished jail.
They were indeed able to fish him out after about an hour. The kitten is in acceptable health and appears to become a main stay there at the jail.
“J cat, he’s a J cat, jail cat,” construction worker Daniel Maga stated, who saved the cat. “We heard this crying coming out of the wall, like this meowing”,
A kitten was saved from inside a wall last week at the new Santa Barbara County Jail that’s under construction. (Sean Larsen / KCOY photo)
This incessant meowing was around 6-am last week when Daniel Maga had just arrived at work, at the construction site of the new county jail, just outside of Santa Maria.
“And there was a little kitten stuck up in here, like about right here, he was stuck up in the rebar,” Maga noted.
So Maga and his construction co-worker jumped in to kitty disaster mode.
“He busted a hole up in there and it freaked the cat out so he sort of scrambled up a little more and got even more stuck,” Maga said.
They decided to let the little furry guy be for a couple hours and then came back to give the rescue another shot.
“We were able to scoop him out and pull him out and get him out of here,” Maga stated.
Since the rescue, the little fella has even garnered a few nicknames over the past week.
“They said they wanted to call him “El Chapo” ..the guys around here, we were calling him Smoky and I guess they wanted to name him Felix the Cat because Felix is lucky,” Maga explained.
Little 10-month El Chapo, or Smoky or or perhaps Felix – plans to be the new jail mascot when the new north county jail opens in early 2019.
“So all the guys when they’re getting booked, can see a little kitty in the booking area when they’re being finger printed,” Maga stated.
It’s fairy safe to say, Maga’s made a new friend.
“I was thinking about going by and giving him a little treat here and there,” Maga stated.
What a sweet little ending for this terrific little kitty!
More Info: www.keyt.com
