Columbus firefighters were the cat’s pajamas when it came to the rescue of a pet cat that went missing from a guest room at the Econo Lodge Inn and Suites.
Firefighters were called to the hotel at 161 Carrie Lane at 9:47 a.m. Wednesday and learned that Molly, a 2-year-old cat, was last seen late Tuesday night after her owners went to sleep for the night.
Nora and Frank Rollen told firefighters they stopped at the motel last night as they were traveling home to Florida. Frank Rollen said that they attempted to find lodging in the Indianapolis area, but choose the Columbus Econo Lodge because it was a pet-friendly motel, said Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman. Frank Rollen told firefighters that when he and his wife awoke this morning, there was no sign of Molly.
While searching the room, Rollen discovered a small hole in a wall located under a sink. Suspecting that Molly may have entered the hole, the Rollens called out to Molly, but she didn’t return. Fearing the worse, a call was placed to the Columbus Fire Department asking for assistance, Wilson said.
Columbus Fire Department Engine Co. 5 arrived on the scene a short time after the call and located a small opening in an interior wall separating the sleeping room from the bathroom, Wilson said.
Firefighters peered into the small hole with a flashlight, but were unable to see the cat. Confident that the Molly had entered the opening and was now unable to exit, firefighters consulted with motel management, and a plan to remove a portion of drywall was established.
After removing a 2-foot by 2-foot section of drywall, firefighters could see a portion of Molly tucked behind the bathtub area in a void space.
When crews tried to reach for Molly, she moved away from the location where she was first seen. Unable to reach the cat, firefighters asked Nora Rollen to come to the wall opening and call for Molly, Wilson said.
After a few moments, and with Molly likely scared of the firefighter’s attempts to rescue her, firefighters decided to exit the room to allow Molly time to calm down. Firefighters advised the Rollens that Molly would likely emerge when the scene became less chaotic.
In the event that Molly did not return, firefighters provided the fire station phone number and an invitation to call back. After two hours of calling out to Molly, the Rollens called firefighters back to the scene for assistance.
When firefighters returned to the scene, they knew that the distance from the wall opening to the location of the cat was too far for a direct grab of Molly, Wilson said. On their first visit, they attempted to use a long wooden dowel to reach the area of the cat, but the cat moved to the opposite side of the void space surrounding the bathtub.
The second attempt would require a new, never before used tactic, Wilson said.
Using the fire station’s leaf blower, firefighters placed the blower into the void space opposite of where Molly was seen watching their every move. When the blower introduced air into the space, Molly ran from her hiding place and was reunited with her owners. Molly was uninjured during the incident, Wilson said.
The firefighters leaf blower strategy worked purr-fectly, Wilson deadpanned.
Engine Company 5 crew included Lieutenant Bryan Brown, Firefighter Dan Bates and Firefighter Bob Jordan.
