500,000 pets involved in home fires every year. Our two cats, Bandit and Elliot, are now part of that statistic. But, with a little bit of luck and their fight-or-flight instinct, they are sitting with me now as I write this.
Before I tell you how we found them, let me start by telling you a bit about our two cats. Two brothers that we got as kittens more than 11 years ago, Bandit and Elliot have always been an important part of our family.
Bandit loves sinks. Any sink. Kitchen, bathroom, wherever!
Bandit and Elliot are like the Oscar and Felix of the feline world.
Bandit, is the sloppy, somewhat overweight, and definitely unmotivated part of the duo. With a “meow” that could be interpreted as a bit whiny and annoying, Bandit finds his way into irritating positions every day.
It starts with his need for fresh water every morning. He’ll wait in the sink until someone turns on the faucet. He thinks he’s a great homework helper, and if there’s nothing for him to do, he’ll just make sure he’s in a
place where he won’t miss any action.
Bandit, studying history
Elliot on the other hand, is a much more refined, intellectual cat. It may be he is channeling his name’s literary inspiration, but he always carries himself with a certain sophistication. He doesn’t have time for Bandit’s antics, and he definitely doesn’t have time for Chloe’s need to chase him around the house.
The two of them are safe and sound with us now. Here’s their story:
As we ran out of the house the night of the fire, Hanna actually stopped in the doorway before we left and called their names. Leaving them in the house might have been the single most difficult part of the fire. As we watched the flames spread and engulf our home, it was really hard knowing the cats were in there.
Annika and Elliot on graduation day.
The good PR person that I am, I stuck to my key message for the kids. I repeated this to them often until we found the cats: “Cats are really smart and have great instinct. They will be fine. They either ran out the open door and are hiding, or found a safe place in the house.”
I didn’t even believe myself sometimes, but I had to say it for the kids.
Well, when we went back to the house the next morning around 9 a.m., the kids spent a lot of time looking for and calling the cats. Someone heard a faint meow coming from the house. The adults dismissed it as a bird, but Hanna was adamant it was Bandit.
My brother, Chris, followed through and crawled through the rubble to an open door that led to a back basement furnace room that was still intact. He went in, and came out with Bandit!! He held him high over his head like Mufasa held Simba in the Lion King. The cat was dirty, wet and smelly, but okay.
But our hearts sank again when we couldn’t find Elliot.
Elliot, nearly 48 hours after the fire started, finally leaves the house again.
It wasn’t until 36 hours later that we found him. We were at the house the following evening and I was doing some barn chores. Annika came along to look for the cat. She stood in the rubble looking and calling. She heard him! We thought he was also in the basement, so I started to go in, but once I got in the basement, I realized the “meow” was coming from above my head. Elliot had hid in Hanna’s bedroom and was okay.
Elliot right after his bath to remove the soot and smell.
The bedroom was on the second floor, so we had to get a ladder to get into the room to get him. Once again, Uncle Chris to the rescue. He entered the house and was able to get the cat.
TIP: the smoke smell can be removed from pets by using a rinse of hydrogen peroxide and Dawn dish soap.
Average 2 bedrooms cost https://essaysheaven.com/ over $5,000 a month.
Recent Comments