HICKSVILLE, NY — Several cats were rescued from a home in Hicksville that was demolished after a fire.
Two residents were hurt in the Jan. 31 fire, and seven indoor cats were saved from the Page Drive house.
“We found one in a closet [and] one in a back bedroom,” Rescuer John Debacker told Patch.
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He also located a cat “where the majority of the fire was, underneath parts of the wall and ceiling. We had to move a lot of stuff.”
But Debacker and his helpers got no assist from the injured kitties.
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“We were just searching,” he said. “The cats are terrified; they’re not going to make any sounds.”
A handful of other cats made their way into the backyard and were rescued as well.
“A lot of them went to Oyster Bay Animal Shelter with some pretty bad burn wounds on the paws,” he said. “Otherwise, their lungs and everything checked out good, so no long-term effects of this.”
There were four cats deceased in the home and another cat was discovered dead during the demolition, Debacker said.
Combining the felines who live indoors and outdoors, Debacker said the homeowner cared for up to 30 cats, and now the process is underway to find new homes for many of them.
A few of them are ready for adoption, and they are posted on the Oyster Bay Animal Shelter’s website.
“When they’re alive, it’s the best feeling in the world,” Debacker said. “We only had two days to find the cats before [the] demo started.”
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