Fire crew rescues kitten trapped in dumpster

A group of firefighters in Denver who are self-professed "softies" pulled out all the stops when they got a call about a kitten trapped in a dumpster.

"Absolutely we feel for it. We treat it just like it was a human being in a sense," Lt. Aaron Jonke told KUSA in Denver. "We want to make sure we rescue the cat and rescue the cat safely."

The cat was discovered with his head lodged into the drain hole of the dumpster, according to KUSA. Firefighters aren't sure how he got that way.

It took the crew more than an hour and a variety of extrication tools to rescue the kitten, including a drill, a reciprocating saw, a grinder and a "Whiz Wheel." Crew members took care to make sure they didn't hurt the kitty as they worked.

The little guy was taken for a medical evaluation and wound up at the Denver Animal Shelter, who said he's doing well.

"Although he is underweight, he appears to be otherwise healthy thanks to DFD's great work," the organization posted on Facebook.

As for the firefighters, they said it was all in a day's work.

"We're a bunch of big softies down here at Station 8, so we wanted to make sure we took care of that cat," Jonke said. "We're not heroes. We're just doing our job."

Photos used with permission from the Denver Fire Department.