A female tabby, since nicknamed “Daikin” was rescued yesterday in Coorparoo on Brisbane’s southside after spending nearly a week trapped within an old air conditioning unit.

The property owner heard strange noises from her 1970s-era air conditioner, but attributed the sounds to a rat infestation.

Rescuers were shocked to find an adult cat in such a tight space.

When we got out there we saw this very old air-con unit built in the 1970’s, a real dinosaur of a thing,” RSPCA ambulance officer Katrina Farmer said today.

“We thought we might be dealing with rats at first, the smell of urine was so pungent.”

Rescue workers said that the badly malnourished and dehydrated tabby had been trapped inside by a turbine for at least five days and could only be freed when the air conditioner was ripped off the wall.

“She is extremely dehydrated, frightened, and skinny which is no wonder after being stuck in there for so long,” RSPCA senior veterinarian Vicky Lomax said.

“She also has burns to her ears, and injuries to her front legs as though she has been dragging herself along.”

Rescuers have no clue as to how Daikin was able to climb inside the air conditioning unit.

“It has really surprised us. Cats are known to squeeze into strange places, but this was a very, very tight space.”

Daikin has undergone surgery today while the animal charity begins the search for her owners.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the RSPCA’s Fairfield shelter on 3426 9989.

[LINK: Brisbane Times]

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A cat from down under, appropriately named Voodoo, conjured up some good mojo and white magic in surviving a fall from his 34-story high apartment.

Here’s the story from AFP:

SYDNEY (AFP) — A lucky Australian cat used up one of its lives when it survived a 34-storey plunge from an apartment building window, a report said Wednesday.

The seven-year-old moggy Voodoo vanished from a high-rise flat on the Gold Coast of eastern Queensland state on Monday and reappeared on the ground where his fall was apparently broken by some well-placed bushes.

The cat’s owner, Sheree Washington, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that Voodoo was fond of standing on a small ledge outside the 34th-floor flat and looking down on the world.

“Obviously he was looking over too far and went. So he fell 34 floors and was lucky enough to land in some bushes which I think have saved him,” she said.

“We’ve had a look at where he landed and one of the branches that was broken has got cat hair on it and it’s about an inch (2.54 centimeters) in diameter. So he was a very lucky pussy cat,” Washington said.

The fortunate feline got away with only minor injuries, including scratches and a damaged paw.

Reminder: Although it’s possible for cats to survive falls from great heights, many do not. Other’s who do survive suffer significant trauma, including broken bones, broken teeth, and internal bleeding and injuries. If you live in a high-rise, please don’t put your cat in jeopardy.

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Imagine veterinarian George Huber’s surprise when a cat he was helping through labor gave birth to a two-faced kitten in Perth, Australia.

The mother suffered complications during the birthing process, so was brought into the Swan Veterinary Clinic. She subsequently gave birth to three kittens, the smallest of whom had an extra face, the result of a congenital deformity — something went haywire early in its embryonic development. Otherwise, the cat appears healthy. His siblings had no deformities.

The kitten can eat from just one mouth because of a cleft palate, but it able to meow with both mouths simultaneously. And his ability to purr has not been affected.

The kitten’s owners are thinking of calling it either Mr Men or Quasi Modo.

UPDATE: Sadly, the two-faced kitten lost its battle for life yesterday. You can read more here.

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