CAT SAVED BY ROTO-ROOTER AFTER
3-DAY ORDEAL
AND 12-HOUR RESCUE EFFORT
Local Contacts:
Ryan Rich, general manager, Roto-Rooter of Memphis
Cell) 901-508-5117, Office) 901-751-0216
Cheryl Albers, cat’s owner
625 N. Delta Drive
Marion, AR
H) 870-739-8575, Cell) 870-735-3491
Marion, Arkansas (May 14, 2009) - - It was Roto-Rooter to the rescue of a curious female cat named “Bubba” who disappeared Monday in between the floors of her owner’s home. Roto-Rooter spent 13 hours scanning voids between floor joists with fiber optic video cameras and sophisticated listening devices designed to detect water leaks before the exhausted and dehydrated cat was finally freed around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The cat’s owner, Cheryl Albers, realized the cat had apparently followed an air conditioner repair technician into the attic last Monday morning then fell into a void. The kitty’s occasional meows could not be pinpointed but it was obvious she was alive and trapped either behind a wall or between floors for three days.
Desperate for help, Albers called the fire department. Firefighters scanned the walls and ceilings with infrared heat signature detection equipment but even they could not find the cat. The family went so far as to cut holes in the ceiling and remove air conditioner vents in search of the wayward feline. Attempts to coax the cat out with calls and open cans of tuna were no help either.
Finally, a firefighter suggested Albers phone Roto-Rooter, which has used its sophisticated fiber optic sewer inspection video cameras to rescue pets and recover lost jewelry from pipes and other tight spots in the past.
Roto-Rooter’s Memphis Branch manager, Ryan Rich, spent much of the day at the home and rotated two experienced service technicians in and out in an effort to locate and rescue the cat. But it became one of the longest and most challenging pet rescues Roto-Rooter has ever attempted.
“The cat has a shy nature and its owner told us it tends to hunker down and get quiet whenever strangers are in the house,” said Rich. “Obviously, that hampered our efforts since the house is large and we needed to hear the cat in order to zero in on her location.” Finally, Bubba the cat meowed at just the right moment her rescuers were listening closely and her location was finally revealed. Roto-Rooter’s Fred Simmons cut a hole in a wall late last night and pulled her free.
Mr. and Mrs. Albers could not be more pleased with the outcome. They operate a local Italian restaurant and brought in pizzas to feed the Roto-Rooter rescue team. “I think they were afraid we were going to give up and leave and they felt we were their last hope,” said Rich who did not charge the cat’s owners for the rescue. “We’re pet owners too. It would’ve been cruel not to have helped.”
Contact:
Paul Abrams, public relations manager
Roto-Rooter Services Company
Cincinnati Corporate Headquarters
513-340-4742, cell) 513-702-5631
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