The situation seemed hopeless for a tiny black kitten who had somehow ended up 25 feet underground in a narrow pipe in Venice, California.

But as a video from Nat Geo shows, the trapped kitty’s luck turned when a geologist heard faint meows crying for help from deep within the pipe. An animal rescue team arrived on the scene with a camera attached to a long pole. Once they were able to capture a visual of the cat’s location, they pulled the frightened animal up to safety.

The kitty needed a good bath after the ordeal, but was otherwise in fine shape.

Thank you, dedicated rescuers, for saving this kitten’s life.