WATCH: Dramatic cat rescue in Kinsale
A small black and white cat called Miska was the subject of a dramatic rescue in the centre of Kinsale town on Wednesday, involving a cherry-picker, the local vet and the partial dismantling of a tiled roof.
While owner Otylia Miau was on holidays her flatmate left a window open briefly and Miska, an indoor cat, escaped. By the time Ms Miau and her son Kornel got home on Tuesday, Miska has already been missing for several days.
“I was going all round Kinsale calling and shouting and that evening, when it got quiet, I could hear her miaow,” Ms Miau said. “I went on the roof with my friends and we found exactly where she was. But we saw there was not a chance we could reach her ourselves.” The following morning she went to see John Nyhan of Glasslyn Vets and “he was great and organised everything”.
John called on Dan Dempsey's Tyres rescue service to hoist himself and local builder Jason Woodcock onto the roof, while the local Gardaí blocked off the street.
“Jason Woodcock got the job of dismantling the roof to get at the cat,” Mr Dempsey told the Evening Echo.
“We could see the cat’s eyes glistening six or seven feet in but had to take off slates to get down through the roof.”
They called Eamonn O'Neill, the building’s owner, to get permission and went to work: “It went on for more than two hours.
” A crowd gathered to watch the rescue unfold and local woman Sarah Egar of Claw Creations recorded the lovely moment when 10-year-old Kornel was reunited with his beloved pet.
“He was really delighted,” Ms Miau said.
“Our dog, we have a small Jack Russell, he was so happy too, he licked her all over when she got home. He was missing her too!” Their flatmate was also very relieved that the cat was rescued safely.
Miska legs are swollen as a result of being trapped but she is home with the family and eating and drinking well. Mr Nyhan took blood samples from her on Thursday to check her kidneys but they are hopeful she will make a full recovery.
Amazingly, this is not Mr Dempsey’s first time coming to the rescue of a kitty at risk with his cherry picker.
“I got called to another one about four years ago on a winter’s night to Barrack Street. We are on call 24 hours and they couldn’t find anyone in the city available, so I got called to a cat three stories up.”
This story first appeared in the Evening Echo.
