Today's happy New York cat story

[dianeduane]

In a purr-fect ending, a miner with a heart of gold...rescued Molly the cat last night.

After spending 14 days stuck in the guts of a 19th-century West Village building, New York's famous fur ball was safe and sound and eating sardines.

The kitty cornered in the wall had drawn such widespread attention that she had become the city's newest attraction, touching the hearts of locals and tourists alike.

...Between yesterday and the day she got stuck (April 1st), here are some of the ways they tried to get her out:

• Humane traps baited with mackerel
  
• Entreaties from cat therapist Carole Wilbourn
  
• Mewing kittens
  
• Tiny video cameras
  
• Recordings of whale and gull sounds (That was supposed to help how? Someone please explain that to me. Especially the gull sounds....)
  
• Pet psychic Maxine Albert
  
• Removing bricks from landmarked building
  
• Drilling holes in same (Before removing them, I assume.)
  
• Animal Care & Control officers
  
• NYPD Emergency Service Unit officers
  
• Catnip (Yes indeed, when all else fails, try drugs... [eyeroll]))
  

(See also [if you can get at it without a subscription] the New York Times's take on the story)

Tags: cat, trapped, New York, deli, British, another feel-good story

Comments

[briar-witch.livejournal.com]

Oh good!! I had read of her on MSN, and was worried that she might never make it back out. I am really pleased she's safe now, that's great news.

[lady-autumnstar.livejournal.com]

I, too, am very glad the cat is safe, but what was the pet psychic supposed to do? And if the lady is truly a psychic, why didn't she predict how they could rescue the cat sooner?

[posicat.livejournal.com]

I'd read that story, it seemed like the biggest battle they were having was that the building was a historical site. Because of that they couldn't just pull up floorboards, or open up walls, but had to work slowly and cautiously to not hurt the building. Seems wrong to me that a thing would be valued over a life.

BTW : Catnip's not actually a drug, as it doesn't have any narcotic effects. The smell induces cats to roll and play, but after they get enough they loose interest in it. The going theory is that the oil in catnip (Nepetalactone), which has insect repellant properties, induces this behavior in cats so that they flea-dip themselves essentially. Studies have shown that catnip oil is 10 times more effective than deet, and non-toxic.

I was going to see her...

[serenityfallen.livejournal.com]

Being a New Yorker I was mad that i didn't find out about the kitty till the 12th of this month, I wanted to go see the store and try to help get her too... and when I finaly had a free day I woke up to the AOL news story that they got her out.

http://serenityfallen.livejournal.com/6531.html

There's the link to two news articles I collected over the past few days from AOL.

[wetdryvac.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine drilling into a wall with a cat in - I've already seen the results of drilling into pipe containing walls, and that with a cat fills me with shivering horror.

Glad she's back out.