Firefighters Rescue Kitten Trapped in Tire, Reunite with Family

On September 23, 2025, firefighters from the Glenview Fire Department in Illinois responded to a unique call. Two men had brought a tire to the fire station, with a kitten trapped inside the wheel. The men explained that a stray cat had recently given birth to five kittens in their garage, and one of the kittens had become stuck in the tire.

The firefighters, led by Lieutenant Render and firefighters Keogh and Chapman, worked quickly to free the kitten. Using Dawn dish soap and water, they were able to extract the kitten from the tire after about 20 minutes. The kitten was reunited with its mother and siblings, all of whom were safe and sound.

In the days following the rescue, one of the men who had brought the kitten to the fire station, Karol Bakowski, provided an update. He confirmed that the kitten, nicknamed "Yoda" for its appearance when wet, was doing well and had been returned to its mother. The other four kittens also had names and were all safely back with their mother, who had come back the next day to collect them and take them to a secure location.