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Middle Village, Queens, kitten ‘Penelope’ rescued from storm drain by emergency responders

A tiny little tabby is now awaiting a permanent home after a dramatic rescue from a storm drain in Middle Village.

Penelope — named after Penelope Avenue, where she was found at the intersection of 72nd Street — is now in the care of Phyllis Taiano, president of the animal rescue organization Four Paws Sake NYC.

“I will bring her home and foster her until she can be adopted,” Taiano said in a statement. People interested in giving Penelope a permanent home can visit fourpawssakenyc.com.

Penelope’s plaintive cries were heard by a passerby Monday night. He alerted the NYPD to the mewling coming from a storm drain blocked by a grate and the ensuing effort to free her was documented on his Twitter account, @vahanavagyan, and those of law enforcement.

A rescue team including cops from the 104th precinct and ESU Truck 10 labored for hours before freeing the recalcitrant kitten, estimated to be between one month and six weeks old. Penelope was taken to BluePearl Animal Hospital, where she was cleaned up, evaluated and observed overnight, said spokesman Curtis Krueger. She “has no chronic conditions or obvious health concerns,” Krueger said.

Penelope is “adoptable. There’s no hissing, there’s no clawing, she’s totally accepting love,” said Taiano.

The kitten is believed to be a stray: No information exists as to her origins or littermates, Krueger said.