A nearly week-long rescue had a “purrfect” ending Friday when the last of five kittens was saved from a storm drain in Westport.

The community effort began last weekend when Westport Animal Shelter Advocates got a call from a man driving on the Post Road near Stop & Shop.

“He had seen a cat jump into the storm drain and when he went to check on the cat, he saw little faces looking up at him,” said Julie Loparo, president of WASA.

Loparo told News 12 she put out an SOS to the group’s volunteers, who came to the scene and confirmed the cat had a litter of five with her down there.

“We realized quickly it was a situation that we would need help,” Loparo explained.

WASA called in the town’s animal control officer, public works and the fire department.

“We metered into the storm drain to make sure the atmosphere wasn't toxic, and then attempted to make visual contact with any animals that were within reach,” Deputy Chief Matthew Cohen told News 12.

But it wasn't just a matter of simply scooping up the mother cat and her kittens. They moved further back into the pipe and weren’t accessible to firefighters.

“One of our volunteers established a feeding area. They got to know her voice, so it was just a matter of setting the traps, being patient, monitoring them. We were monitoring them every hour,” Loparo explained.

Three kittens wandered into the traps Tuesday evening and night, followed by another kitten and the mother cat Wednesday night. Firefighters responded every time to remove the drain gate, pull up the traps, then put everything back in place. They were also called there anytime a trap needed to be reset or have extra food added.

“There were some safety concerns leaving the storm drain open given that it was a publicly accessible area, so it had to be opened and closed several times,” Cohen stated, adding they made a total of 11 visits there since last Saturday.

The final one came Friday morning after a WASA volunteer saw the last kitten had finally made its way into a trap.

“It was such a relief because she was down there by her herself,” Loparo said. “One of our volunteers took the sheet that the mother cat had been laying on and used that for that last kitten. We think that made a difference, and so here we are. We're so happy. I will tell you at the beginning, I was a little nervous, but it was amazing how everybody came together.”

That included Animals in Distress, a nonprofit in Wilton dedicated to the placement of homeless cats and kittens, Loparo said. All the animals were checked out at Schulhof Animal Hospital in Westport and are doing well, according to Loparo. She said the mom is a stray cat, who likely went into the storm drain to be safe and gave birth there.

“The kittens initially were a little frightened. They have come around with just a little handling,” Loparo told News 12. “I'm just thrilled how the departments all worked to make this happen. It shows the heart of Westport.” The plan is to name the kittens and cat after Ninja Turtles characters since they were living in a storm drain. It’s believed they’re between four and five weeks old. Right now, the animals are being fostered, but they will be up for adoption in a few weeks through Animals in Distress.