While he may not wear a mask or cape, John DeBacker has certainly earned the title of hero to one family on Long Island.
Dressed in his “Catman” T-shirt, DeBacker successfully rescued a scared and weary cat named Lola, who had been trapped for about five days—most likely upside down—behind a wall in her family’s older home located in the suburbs of New York City.
Lola’s journey into danger started about two weeks prior when she darted under a floorboard while her family was moving out of their second-floor apartment in Franklin Square.
That was when DeBacker and his team were brought in to help.
With more than 15 years of experience in cat rescues, DeBacker set up a trap with food and cameras, hoping to coax Lola out. However, Lola outsmarted the trap, only appearing at night.
Things worsened when they realized she had stopped showing up entirely after she had fallen, becoming stuck behind a first-floor wall.
When they finally located her, Lola was found in an alarming state—trapped upside down, consuming insulation and getting weaker by the moment. DeBacker began to lose hope of rescuing her alive.
Fortunately, last Friday brought a breakthrough. With the aid of a contractor, they used an electric saw to cut a hole in the wall and employed an endoscopic camera to spot Lola.
Seeing her anxious, they switched to a quieter drill to avoid scaring her further.
“After two weeks, we really didn’t want to lose the cat again,” he remarked.
In the rescue footage, DeBacker can be seen reaching through the narrow opening, making contact with Lola’s hind legs before shifting his position to carefully pull her out backward.
“Safe!” a woman is heard saying as the dusty, exhausted cat is placed into a towel-lined crate.
Lola’s rescue left DeBacker feeling euphoric.
“We were all so happy,” he shared.
Now back at home, they are noticing that Lola struggles with her appetite, prompting her family to take her to the vet to determine the issue.
DeBacker, who has four cats himself, offered a piece of advice to cat owners preparing for moving: “Make sure to secure the cats first, not after everything else. The stress of moving can cause the cat to hide.”
