West Kelowna kitten rescued after getting stuck on rat trap

Lola was a kitten in a sticky position.

The feral white and tabby cat in West Kelowna was rushed to the Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital last weekend after someone found her stuck to a large rat trap covered in glue.

Veterinarian Moshe Oz said that the body and all four of the kitten's legs were attached to the trap so she could only move her head.

He estimates that the kitten had been stuck to the trap for up to two days.

"She was quite emaciated and dehydrated," he said. "She was on the verge of dying on us. A few more hours in the sun, on the weekend and she wouldn't have made it."

Oz said it took several hours to remove the kitten, whom the staff named "Lola", from the trap.

She was given medication to sedate her.

A mask was also placed over her face to block her vision to minimize her stress while she was being removed from the trap. 

The hospital then used oil to slowly extricate Lola from the glue on the trap.

"We had to do it slowly to make sure the skin won't rip off," he said.

After she was removed, vet staff nursed Lola back to health.

"We gave her a good bath, fluids, antibiotics, and lots of food and love."

Oz said Lola was still scared after being freed, but now that a few days have passed she is doing much better.

"She is completely like a normal cat," he said.

Oz also encourages people to not use sticky rat traps — but if people do choose to use them, to check them every few hours to make sure that no other animals get trapped in it.

"Even if you trapped mice or a rat, I think it's not really a humane way to die. They are there for a few days, no food, no ability to move, no water," he said.

"And that's also the kind of problem with these traps, that it can attract kittens, it can attract babies of wild animals, and it can attract small wild animals. If you do find something, try to bring it to a vet and we will figure it out."

Oz also said that the hospital, which took care of the kitten exclusively with its own funds, is now looking for a new home for Lola, who is ready to be adopted.

"She's cute, she's hungry, she's playing, she can find a home anytime."

To hear the full interview click on the audio labelled: Lola the kitten rescued from rat trap