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Deputies on search and rescue hear ‘a tiny cry.’ Then comes different type of rescue

Deputies inspected a search and rescue truck after hearing “a tiny cry.”
Deputies inspected a search and rescue truck after hearing “a tiny cry.” Photo from Multnomah County Sheriff's Office

During a routine training session, a K-9 alerted deputies that there may be a rodent inside a search and rescue truck.

A technician was asked to inspect the truck, but before they could, volunteer deputies were called to a search and rescue mission at the Vista House in the Gorge, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 28 Facebook post.

“The truck traveled over 10 miles at freeway speeds and another 5 miles up the winding road to the call location,” deputies said.

Deputies were gearing up to head out, but then “they heard a tiny cry.”

“They figured out the noises were coming from the truck,” the sheriff’s office said.

While other volunteers headed into the field, two stayed behind to search for the source of the cries, according to deputies.

They took apart the “wheel-well on the truck to reach the inner mechanical spaces,” deputies said

.

The kitten hitched a ride in a search and rescue truck.
The kitten hitched a ride in a search and rescue truck. Photo from Multnomah County Sheriff's Office

In doing so, they discovered something furry: “a small black kitten,” deputies said.

A veterinarian examined the kitten, which is in good health, aside from a cold, deputies said.

A Multnomah County deputy adopted the kitten.
A Multnomah County deputy adopted the kitten. Photo from Multnomah County Sheriff's Office

They named the young cat Vista, after the landmark where they made the rescue. The kitten was adopted by one of the search and rescue deputies, bringing a close to its “unlikely story.”

Vista House is about a 25-mile drive east from Portland.

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This story was originally published August 29, 2024 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Deputies on search and rescue hear ‘a tiny cry.’ Then comes different type of rescue."

Daniella Segura
McClatchy DC
Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.
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