Long Island Cat Rescued After Five Days Trapped

John DeBacker freed Lola last Friday after about five days trapped upside down behind a wall in Franklin Square, Long Island, with no food or water. Lola ducked under a floorboard about two weeks earlier while her family moved from a second-floor apartment, then fell and stuck behind a first-floor wall. DeBacker, a cat rescuer for at least 15 years in a Catman T-shirt, set food and camera traps she avoided at night. When she vanished, she was found weak and chewing insulation. With a contractor, he cut a wall opening with an electric saw, saw her on an endoscopic camera, and switched to a quieter drill to stop her fleeing deeper. He pulled her out. A woman said "Safe!" "We were all so happy," DeBacker said. "It's pretty miraculous that the cat survived there five days with no food or water. And when you're upside-down, all the blood is rushing to your head." He said, "After two weeks, we did not want to lose the cat again." He advised, "Secure the cats first and not after all the moving. The moving will scare the cat into hiding." DeBacker said Lola had veterinary care, returned to her family with a poor appetite, and continues vet visits. CONTESTED: No contested facts found in the record.