Woman Squeezes Into Unbelievably Tiny Gap to Save Kittens: 'Claustrophobic'

Anne Thompson

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An animal lover has been hailed as a hero after squeezing through a tiny gap between two houses to rescue four stranded kittens. Professional horse rider Kate Lewis, from North Yorkshire in the U.K., had viewers on TikTok squirming after uploading the clip of her risking her own wellbeing to come to the aid of the stricken young cats. Some on social media struggled to watch as she pushed on further into the gap between the two thick brick walls in what amounted to every claustrophobe's worst nightmare. Fortunately, there was a happy ending with Lewis succeeding in retrieving the kittens, all of which made a full recovery following their ordeal.

Kate Lewis rescued four kittens in total. blobthecob

According to a 2022 report by the charity Cats Protection, the U.K. is home to some 11 million cats, with an estimated 26 percent of households owning at least one feline. Though cats may make for more independent pets than dogs, they are not without their difficulties, particularly if left unneutered. Cats Protection recommends all female cats be neutered by the time they reach four months of age. Despite this, they estimate as many as 39 percent of female cats in the U.K. remain unneutered by the time they reach a year old. This can often result in unwanted pregnancy. Though some owners may persevere and assist in raising the kittens, in some instances mother cats and their litters have been left to fend for themselves. That appears to have been the case for the cat and kittens at the heart of Lewis' story. Lewis helps her family run Filey Cat Rescue, a family-run charity set up during the pandemic. It all started when the family decided to rescue 18 cats from a farm during the first period of lockdown. Fast-forward more than two years and the family home has since been converted into a rescue center housing more than 100 felines. The cat and kittens were discovered in between two garages in a nearby Yorkshire village. "We had received a call about an unneutered female cat with four remaining kittens after the others had disappeared, presumably due to the high population of foxes in the area," Lewis told Newsweek. "We first trapped the mother cat, then went in between the garages to rescue the kittens!" That was no easy feat. While Lewis was able to fit in the gap, she had little in the way of wriggle room, and instead had to carefully bend down to her right to retrieve the kittens. The resulting footage was not an easy watch as many on social media were quick to point out. "Why am I having a panic attack?" one viewer asked with another writing: "wow I felt claustrophobic and I wasn't even the one in there." Thankfully, after disappearing slightly out of view for a few seconds on the video, Lewis soon returned with the kittens in hand. All the cats involved have since made a full recovery. "The mother cat and kittens came to the rescue where they were reunited and after 8 weeks the kittens are now looking for new homes while the mother cat returned to the family who notified us of her situation," Lewis said. "She has since been adopted by that family and has grown greatly in confidence, now residing in the house with them." Lewis was hailed as a "hero" and "angel" by those watching online. The video of her efforts has already been viewed 2 million times, with the reaction to the clip leaving her feeling a bit stunned. "I wasn't expecting the video to be so popular, it was a huge shock!" she said. "I think perhaps the main reason is the claustrophobic aspect as it was a very tight space to squeeze into and of course the adorable kittens help too!" Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.