While Assemblyman Joe Lentol was listening to new Governor Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address in Albany, back in Williamsburg his staff was hearing a less purr-fect speech. Around lunch time, communications director Amy Cleary noticed a cat crying desperately from somewhere in the back of Lentol's district office. Fortunately, Cleary and Lentol's executive assistant JoAnn McErlean spotted four fireman on their lunchbreak buying sandwiches at a deli across the street. Hearing about the cat in distress, New York's Bravest left their sandwiches in the fire truck and sprung into action.
"I was so worried," says Tish Cianciotta, another Lentol staffer. "It was clear she was getting weak and tired, the firemen got here just in time." Cleary says, "They realized she must be in the wall, and started trying to figure out where in the wall she was, they took apart part of the wall in our bathroom and then went down to the basement with a ton of tools. I felt so bad, they were on their lunch breaks and all of their food was back in the truck getting cold. But they were great, they just kept at it, trying to get her out."
They finally cut a hole in the basement wall and coaxed it out with food. In a statement, Lentol's staff describes the kitten as "a hungry girl and very dirty from her adventures in the wall." The kitten is reportedly six or eight months old, and is now at Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition (BARC), a no kill animal shelter in North Williamsburg waiting to be adopted. Anyone interested is encouraged to visit the website or go there in person (253 Wythe Avenue at North 1st Street, Brooklyn; 718-486-7489). "It was the most exciting thing we’ve had happen here in a while," one staffer concluded. "[The firefighters] even mentioned bringing in infrared equipment but I think they were kidding."
For more heartwarming cat rescue stories, take a look at this. And consider microchipping your pet!
