It started with a faint, echoing cry coming from deep inside a fuel drum on a scorching August day.
Two tiny kittens — hungry, exhausted, and terrified — had somehow fallen into a 3,500-pound metal tank at an industrial park. With no way out, they huddled together in the dark, mewing for help.
For two long days, no one came. Then, a worker finally dropped a can of food down into the tank. The babies pushed it into a corner and devoured it quietly, hidden from sight — clinging to life any way they could.
When rescuers finally managed to slip a phone down the narrow space between the drum and the wall, its flash revealed something heartbreaking: two glowing pairs of eyes staring back.
“I confirmed the kittens were still there,” said Desiree Magee, a volunteer with Tiny Paws and Whiskers. “It was one of the most difficult situations I’d ever seen.”
The tank was sealed tight, impossible to climb into — and the summer heat was climbing toward the high 90s. “These kittens would not have lived,” Magee said.
Knowing time was running out, Magee called for backup. Her only hope was David Loop, president of both Sierra Pacific Furbabies Rescue and Sierra Pacific Electrical, whose trucks and cranes could handle a massive, full fuel tank.
It became a race against the clock. As Loop’s team began siphoning out the fuel, the kittens huddled closer together at the bottom. Finally, after nearly half an hour, the crane began to lift the drum.
“We actually had to have someone sit on top of the tank to keep it steady,” Magee said. “It started rocking, and I was terrified they’d get crushed.”
Then, at last — movement.
The kittens scrambled up the slick metal walls, desperate for escape. Magee lunged forward, managing to grab one, then the other. Both screamed in fear, but she held on tight, clutching them to her chest.
And then, just as she caught her breath, she spotted something else — another kitten already waiting in her trap nearby.
Three lives saved.
The tank was lowered back into place that night, but Magee had a feeling the story wasn’t over. Sure enough, after resetting her trap, she discovered two more kittens — and their mother — a few hours later.
By the time the whole family was safe in her home, it was well past midnight. Magee had been working for over fifteen hours straight.
Once bathed, the kittens — reeking of diesel and grime — began to show their personalities.
The only female was the feistiest, earning herself a dedicated one-on-one foster to help her adjust.
Her brothers quickly melted into their foster mom’s lap, purring and falling asleep on their backs — finally learning to trust again.
The two kittens rescued from the tank were named Tank and Diesel — a nod to their incredible survival story. Today, they’re healthy, playful, and thriving alongside their siblings.
“They’re completely transformed,” Magee said. “You’d never know what they went through.”
What started as two faint cries in a fuel drum ended with six lives saved — and one exhausted rescuer whose heart is a little fuller for it.
If you’d like to support Tiny Paws and Whiskers or are interested in adopting one of these kittens, you can contact the rescue via their website.
If you'd like to support Sierra Pacific Furbabies, you can donate to them via their website.
