He couldn’t believe he had made such a careless mistake. But looking at the scene in front of him made it clear that he had messed up badly. The back of her was hovering against the garage door. He realized he could have spared Bella from this if he had just checked on her before he left the house. He never imagined she’d be in this much trouble.
Four days had passed since Christmas and things were pretty quiet in Louisiana. This made Deputy Mike Scott’s job a lot easier. But then, he got a call. It was raining badly, and several homes had started to flood. He later admitted that he was unprepared for what he discovered when he responded to a call.
Bella’s owner was buying equipment and other supplies to deal with the flooding in his neighborhood. He had gone down to the garage to get in his car. Then he drove off without looking back. If he hadn’t been so preoccupied with the list of things he had to buy, he might have caught a glimpse of something odd. But he was oblivious to what was happening as the garage door slowly closed behind his vehicle.
After buying everything on his checklist, Bella’s owner headed home, but he had no idea what was happening in his driveway. He didn’t even realize he made a horrible mistake. He would have been more careful if he had known that his electric garage door was capable of putting his loved ones at risk. When he arrived at his house, he promised himself that he would never make the same mistake twice.
A crowd of hysterical people welcomed Bella’s owner as he pulled into his driveway. Everyone was pointing and screaming. Among the crowd was Deputy Mike Scott, who was the only one who appeared calm and collected. It took a moment. Then, he noticed what everyone was frantically looking at, and he immediately went numb.
Deputy Scott remained calm, not that he had a choice. He had to stay level-headed and focused through this. He assessed the situation and made a couple of calculations in his head. Then he came up with a solution, but he couldn’t do it alone. Fortunately, that’s when Bella’s owner drove up, and his face was frozen with fear. He managed to form three words.
“My God, Bella!” The man shouted. His cherished cat was dangling from the top of the garage door. Her little legs were hovering in mid-air. The sight of her in this predicament made him sick to his stomach. Her body was slowly being crushed. He could barely see the furry tail-end of her body. This meant that her head and upper body were trapped on the other side.
Deputy Scott had an idea, which he put into motion right away. He wasn’t sure how long Bella had been stuck up there, but the top of the garage door was crushing her. So, he knew he had to act fast. The cat was probably seriously injured too, but he wasn’t sure how extensive the damage was when her owner closed the garage door and then drove off.
Imagine what this must have been like for poor Bella. She was probably sunbathing on top of the garage door when it was open. But when her owner closed it, she probably scrambled up to get inside the house. But she wasn’t able to get there in time and was now trapped. Her upper body was stuck between the frame and the wooden door, and there was no way out.
Deputy Scott feared the worst. He assumed he was too late. But then he noticed that Bella’s back legs were moving, and he knew there was still a chance. She was alive, but she wouldn’t be for long. He had to get her out of there right away. He decided that he would need to remove the paneling above Bella so he could slide her to safety without harming her. And everyone was happy to help.
Luckily, there were a couple construction workers nearby who brought machinery to help free the cat from its prison. They carefully took out the molding around her, until there was enough room for them to pull her out of there. The plan worked! But no one was sure if the cat would make it after surviving the horrible predicament. After all, the process took too long.
Then, the moment everyone was looking forward to had finally arrived. The cat was quite shaken after Deputy Scott slid her out. But she meowed gratefully at her rescuers. Bella was immediately checked out, and fortunately, she didn’t seem injured. However, Bella was obviously battered, and sore from being sandwiched by the heavy garage door. But at least, she was alive and kicking. The outcome could have been worse.
This isn’t an isolated incident. There have been several circumstances where a cat went through what Bella did. Unfortunately, most of them weren’t as lucky as her. So, make sure and check your garage door because you never know if your cat is hiding on top. Take a minute to do this. It might save your pet’s life. Bella’s owner will never forget to check!
Deputy Scott’s quick response and the help of the crowd guaranteed that Bella the cat was rescued with virtually no injuries. But when asked to talk about the situation, Scott said, “I am not much of a cat person, but no one wants to see an animal suffer…. After losing so much from the flood, I was happy that I could save the homeowner’s cat. Thank God for miracles and good neighbors.”
Deputy Scott of the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, in Louisiana, was so heroic that the story of how he rescued Bella the cat went viral. As word spread around the globe, people learned a valuable lesson. Deputy Scott’s willingness to help an animal and the manner in which the community came together was commendable. It proved that collectively, people can do awesome things, and we’re sure Bella would agree.