After the Fire - Fundraiser for Sarah Ruehlen

3 Cats and a Lady - Miracles after the Fire

On Monday afternoon, October 3rd, 2022, a fire broke out at The Boulders Apartments, and within moments, peoples' homes were lost, and their lives forever changed. Sarah Ruehlen was alerted HOURS after a fire broke out in her apartment complex that her home was on fire, with all 3 of her cats trapped inside. There were no attempts to contact her or to get her pets out of the apartment. After being notified, she returned to her home, witnessing her belongings burning and being destroyed and having no knowledge of how her cats suffered or might still be suffering. Shock began to settle in, not comprehending how this catastrophic event could possibly be occurring! To say that Monday night was one of the longest nights of her life, especially after the fireman told her that at least one of her cats was declared deceased, with no knowledge of what may or may not have happened to her other two cats, it in no way compared to the roller coaster events of Tuesday! As news of the tragedy spread throughout the community, a wonderful and unique community was alerted that one of their own was in trouble... animal rescue volunteers and fosters are a tight community. We do everything we can to help humans and animals!

Sarah has been involved in animal rescue for as long as I have been involved, and the moment I learned that her home was gone, that she had lost one cat, my desperate need to help her locate her other two cats became my ONLY focus! If we could recover the other two cats, praying they would be alive, and retrieve the fur baby that lost it's life, then we could focus on all the other tasks needed to try and help Sarah rebuild her life. She didn't even know which kitty had died, and not knowing who to look for brought ongoing tragedy and suffering. As I started my outreach to all our contacts in cat rescue, animal rescue, and shared acquaintances, I packed up the car with cat traps and set out to meet Sarah at the last known location the cats had been, which was the burned apartment. While en route to the apartment, I received a text from Sarah that Puff, miracle kitty #1, had been found, retrieved inside the destroyed apartment, and looked very good for the most part!

Puff, a 17 year old female kitty, who Sarah has had since she was a tiny kitten, survived the fire, smoke, water hose, and roof collapse and was physically healthy and unharmed. While Sarah took Puff to a safe location to help her relax from the horrors she had survived, I immediately returned to the scene looking for one more kitty. I immediately set traps in the areas where people had seen a black and white cat with a collar and tags, hoping this was one of her missing kitties. Maybe, just maybe, we would have two miracles to hold onto while Sarah begins the painful process of rebuilding her home and belongings.

After setting traps, I reached out on social media to see if anyone had a drone with a camera that they could fly over the charred remains of the apartment. I thought if we knew which cat had died, we would have a better chance of focusing our efforts on finding the other cat. I can't say this enough, but the animal rescue community is exceptional and will go to any length to help a member in need or a random person in the community. An extraordinary man was tagged in my post requesting help. He showed up later in the evening, immediately put his drone into the air, and started passing over the remains of the apartment. Unfortunately, with all the roof debris, there was very little we could see, and we could not locate the deceased cat. As we were regrouping, trying to decide on our next course of action, we became aware that this brave man had found a way into the destroyed apartment building and to the second floor of the apartment. He was physically going through the rubble, looking for the deceased cat. We were all apprehensive about his safety but became optimistic that he might find the precious cat that did not survive the fire.

And then he found a cat, and the cat was alive! He had found Plotz, miracle kitty #2, and we immediately formed a human chain to bring the cat down from the rubble. Plotz had been unable to free himself or escape as he was pinned down under heavy debris. Plotz, just like Puff, had survived the worst conditions and done so physically unharmed! This brave man, and another woman who joined him in the ruins of the apartment, continued to look under debris, searching for the third cat. The search was a race against time and a dangerous task, at the very least. And just like that, Catsby was located, miracle kitty #3! She, too, had been trapped under the rubble and could not free herself. As we were bringing her down from the apartment's second floor, the structure's stability began to change. It became unsafe for any further search to continue or for anyone to retrieve salvageable items. Our time was up to reclaim anything more from destroyed apartment.

After facing the worst nightmare possible, Sarah was reunited with her three cats! We most definitely believe we were able to retrieve what was most valuable, life!!! But so many other things have been lost that will never be replaced. Family heirlooms, photos, gifts from loved ones, and so many things with a memory of time attached are lost.

Sarah needs our help to rebuild her home, a home that needs to feel like home, like her home! Please join us in assisting Sarah with the monetary funds necessary to make this happen! Every dollar counts, and every share matters!! Her story is a true miracle, and now it is time to spread the word and make another miracle come true!!!