Students and faculty at Port Jefferson High School in New York heard something weird when they were going through the school’s parking lot early in the previous month. Tiny screams seemed to be coming from underneath their feet, just over the din of the schoolyard.

They knew right away that a little animal had to be impaled in a sewer drain. When the firemen arrived to open the drains, they discovered nothing. Fortunately, someone called Frankie John Floridia, a local animal rescuer, who arrived quickly with Eddie Stepinski.

After placing traps and cameras in the sewer drain, Floridia and Stepinski quickly discovered her—a little black cat hidden deep beneath the asphalt.

Floridia feared the situation was potentially dire — if any rain caused the sewer water levels to rise, it would be very bad news for the cat.

“We knew we had to act fast,” Floridia told The Dodo.

The group waited as they reset their traps. Shea, Floridia’s daughter, kept a watchful ear out for the cat’s sobs. Soon after, they heard a remarkable sound: one of the traps had closed. The kitten was safely above ground in a matter of minutes.