One tough kitty, nicknamed “Starvin’ Marvin,” has been rescued from beneath the eaves of a Vancouver church, where he’s believed to have been trapped for at least a month.
Church Road Gospel Chapel says, over the course of the past month, it received several complaints about meowing soundsin the area but every time someone checked, the sounds could not be traced.
But the church says the complaints from neighbours persisted and eventually it became clear there was a distressed feline trapped insidethe narrow space between the church’s exterior wall and the overhanging roof.
Still the church remains perplexed how the cat got stuck inside.
Church trustee Raymond Cooper says the space, which runs the length of the building, was completely closed off on one end and the other end was blocked by wire.
"I know every inch of the building and there isn't room enough for anything to get in," Cooper says.
Once the cat was finally discovered, on Thursday, members of the church, staff from the B.C. SPCA and firefighters all pitched in to help retrieve Marvin.
The SPCA says Marvin is underweight and has lost muscle mass. He also has sore front paws, likely from trying to escape the building but is otherwise healthy.
“If it had been summertime, with the heat, he probably would not have survived," says Vancouver SPCA branch manager, Jodi Dunlop.
The church members and staff from the SPCA though remain confused as to how the cat was able to survive.
Dunlopthinks the feline likely survived off mice or birds. Cooper adds that there might have been some dripping waterto help keep him hydrated.
Still, everyone is in awe the little guy is doing so well, all things considered.
"He's a lovely boy," Dunlop says. "It's a Christmas miracle."
The B.C. SPCA is now searching for the cat’s rightful owners.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's St. John Alexander
