Usually when you hear about firefighters rescuing a cat, it involves some helpless feline stuck up a tall tree.
That familiar old story got a new twist Friday night when Oxford firefighters rescued a small kitty trapped inside the stone wing wall of a Mausoleum in the township cemetery on the north side of W. Burdick Street.
Punkin, a 1?-year-old female cat, is now back at home on Dayton Street, safe and sound with owners Linda and Carrie Bartnik.
A lot of people contributed to this happy ending, the story for which began Wednesday, June 7 when Punkin started missing meal time.
‘She didn’t come for her breakfast. She didn’t come for dinner,? Carrie said. ‘Then she didn’t come for breakfast and dinner the next day. That’s when we realized she was missing.?
‘They never miss a meal,? said Linda, referring to Punkin and their three other cats.
For more than a week, the Bartniks circulated flyers, called Punkin’s name and searched the area for their missing kitty, all with no success.
‘Each day that passed we were getting more worried she wasn’t going to come back,? Linda said.
Then ‘a very dear friend of the family,? as Carrie described her, had a very strong, detailed feeling about where little Punkin was.
This friend told the Bartniks their cat was still alive, south of their house on Dayton Street, inside an old house near a big subdivision, around people, and had not crossed a major road, but she could hear traffic.
‘She gave us the faith (that Punkin) was still around and to keep looking,? Carrie said. ‘She suggested we put out flyers one more time and take a walk in the area.?
As they walked along W. Burdick Street past the township cemetery, which abuts the massive Waterstone subdivision, around 8:30 p.m. Friday, Linda and Carrie were struck by the same thought
‘We had just walked past the Mausoleum and we both said, ‘Could that be the old house??? Carrie said. ‘We walked up to it, called out Punkin’s name and heard a cat desperate to get out.?
Long, loud meows emanated from the 112-year-old Mausoleum. ‘You could hear her scratching at the wall,? Carrie said.
Not sure if it was their Punkin or another kitty in distress, Carrie called the Oxford Village Police dispatch center, who in turn contacted township Supervisor Bill Dunn around 9 p.m.
‘Within minutes he was right at our side,? Carrie said.
Believing the cat was trapped inside the Mausoleum, Dunn called cemetery caretaker Brian Duerdon and told him to bring the key to the Mausoleum.
Upon closer examination, Dunn said he realized the cat was actually trapped inside one of the stone wing walls that extend outward on both sides of the Mausoleum’s entrance. Apparently, the cat had crawled inside through an opening, about 3-inches round, underneath a bench attached to the wall.
‘She was wedged in there pretty tight,? Carrie said. ‘We don’t really have any idea how long she was trapped.?
His first thought was to run home and grab a hammer and chisel, then Dunn decided to call the fire department. As luck would have it, some personnel were at Station #1 having just returned from a call.
Fire Chief Jack LeRoy, Lt. Brad Horton and firefighter Darin Balinski all rushed to the cemetery and began chipping away at the wall.
‘Her little back paw stuck out and I knew immediately it was her,? Carrie said.
Within approximately 10 minutes, Punkin was free and riding in a cat carrier on her way home ? rescued again.
Carrie originally found Punkin as a stray on Oxford Road. After three potential homes for the cat didn’t work out for one reason or another, the Bartniks decided to keep her and have called her their own since November 2005.
Dehydrated and hoarse from crying so much, Punkin had a scrape under one of her eyes and a puncture mark on her nose. Her nails were ‘worn down to the nubs? from scratching at the wall.
Other than these minor injuries and being quite shaken up by the whole experience, Punkin is ‘doing wonderfully, no problems,? according to Carrie.
That night Carrie said Punkin ‘definitely did not want to be alone.?
‘She made sure she was with somebody and ended up sleeping with me all night long,? she said. ‘She stayed real close. She had to keep touching me.?
The Bartniks are very appreciative of everyone who helped them find and save little Punkin. ‘We’re just thankful for everybody that came through and helped us,? Carrie said.
‘We’re just very grateful for everything that everyone did for this little cat. No hesitation. They were all right there after a phone call,? Linda said. ‘All that effort for a cat. We really appreciate it.?
Even if the trapped cat hadn’t been Punkin, Carrie still would have been proud of everyone’s efforts.
‘Regardless of what cat it was, we saved a cat.?