A white feline named Fluffy has been reunited with its family in Needham, Massachusetts, after a 30-hour disappearance that ended with its discovery trapped in a hole beneath a newly installed bathtub. The Kirby family was in the process of renovating their bathroom when the cat went missing.
Initially concerned that Fluffy might have slipped out of the house during the construction, the family began a search. The following morning, they printed missing cat posters and enlisted the help of a pet retrieval specialist with a German shepherd to search the area. Despite efforts to lure Fluffy home with treats, the cat remained missing.
"I thought I was never going to see him again," Melissa Kirby told NBC10 Boston.
Thirty hours after Fluffy's disappearance, Melissa Kirby reported hearing a faint meow from upstairs. Upon investigation, she discovered a small paw protruding from a hole in the bathroom floor where the new bathtub had been installed. Her husband, Ed Kirby, contacted an after-hours plumber to report the situation.
"Yes, this is an emergency. It’s not a leak," he recalled telling the plumber. "Our cat is trapped under our tub."
Within an hour, a plumber helped rescue Fluffy from the hole. The cat was unharmed. The Kirby family plans to attach a tracker to Fluffy to prevent future incidents.