Storm Drain Update

Kim texted me this morning to tell me she didn't have any news (bad or otherwise). The reason she wasn't answering her phone is because she fell asleep on the couch, the kind of deep sleep where you can't be disturbed. She did managed to get back with Rick, her friend from animal control, and told him if he found the cat not to just put it to sleep. If there was any chance at all it could be saved, she wanted it. She hasn't heard back from him yet..
When Dave got home for lunch, he and I went over to the area with some food. I shone the flashlight down the storm drain and didn't see the cat. I then, gritting my teeth against the fear, climbed down into the ditch the way Kim did yesterday. When I got to the tunnel where the cat was last seen, I shone the flashlight inside. The cat was gone. Dave and I looked all around the area, but no luck. Now I don't know what to think. Did Rick come get it, or did it escape when the rains started? I just don't know. I know Kim and I should feel proud that we tried our best, and accept that we can't save them all, but all I feel is a sense of failure. If I find out Rick didn't find the cat, I'll feel encouraged. That would mean the cat was able to leave the area on its own, which also means it has a chance at survival...but I can't feel this hope until we hear back from Rick.