Pinangode (Wayanad): A village is holding its breath, hoping for the safe return of a kitten that was carried away by a monkey three days ago.

The incident occurred near the Pinangode UP School, where a monkey strayed into a residential area and abducted one of three 20-day-old kittens from a household. The family was alerted by the heart-wrenching cries of the mother cat, who was seen continuously wailing and staring up at a tree where the monkey perched, holding the tiny kitten in its hand.

As people gathered around, the monkey began moving from tree to tree, eventually making its way out of the immediate vicinity. The mother cat, still crying loudly, chased after the monkey, refusing to give up.

Locals said that the kitten could be heard crying, likely due to hunger and being soaked in the rain. A rescue attempt led by social worker Tahir Pinangod and local volunteers went on for hours, but the monkey kept climbing higher and more unreachable branches.

Amidst the chaos, the monkey was also seen attempting to feed the kitten by plucking a fruit from a nearby fig tree. Since then, the monkey has not been spotted in the area even as residents have launched a widespread search operation.

Villagers now wait anxiously, clinging to hope that the monkey might soon return the kitten unharmed.