16-07-2025
Belleville kitten named after firefighter who rescued it from overpass
Belleville firefighters rescued an unfortunate cat from a Metrolink overpass on Sunday and helped the animal find its new forever home.
The cat was found near the Southwestern Illinois College Metrolink stop, with no witnesses attesting to how the cat managed to strand itself on a narrow ledge, about 15 feet in the air near Illinois 161.
Cecelia and Maggie Hammond, 17 and 21, respectively, first saw a post on Facebook about the cat on the overpass. Within minutes they were on scene and called the fire department to rescue the feline.
'No one was there with him,' said Hammond. 'He was just up there all alone, meowing, so we called the fire department as soon as we could.'
The Hammonds then called St. Clair TNR & Rescue, a local nonprofit that helps rescue, spay and neuter cats. After initially looking over the cat, rescuers helped the Hammonds take it home.
'It was tiny little thing, maybe 8 weeks old,' said Nicole Webster, a volunteer with St. Clair TNR & Rescue. 'The girls who found him wanted to adopt him, so we helped make that happen.'
Since they found the cat in such unique circumstances, the sisters assumed a distinctive name was in order.
'We were thinking of naming Metro since he was found on the Metrolink, but we decided to name him Lombardo after the firefighter who rescued him.'
Anthony Lombardo, who has worked for the Belleville Fire Department for three years, was honored by the naming.
'That's hilarious,' Lombardo said. 'That's awesome.'
Through his short career, Lombardo has rescued 'four or five' cats so far. He isn't sure how the animals keep landing themselves in such treacherous locations, supposing that it's simply part of being 'very curious animals.' Still, he says he's glad to do the work.
'I think it's absolutely imperative that we do this kind of thing,' Lombardo said, 'not just for PR or anything like that, but because stuff like this is a great opportunity to broadcast to the community that good things happen. Some times calls don't go the way you want or hope, but moments like this are a good heart felt moment where you feel like you did something good for the community.'
