Cat rescued after being trapped in garage door

ASCENSION PARISH, La. - A lucky cat survived being trapped in a garage door with no injuries!  It happened in Ascension parish in Louisiana.  Deputy Mike Scott responded to a call for assistance of an animal being stuck in a residence.

“A cat had been stuck between a garage door of a residence and the wall,” said Deputy Scott. “Never in all of my years was I prepared to encounter what I saw upon my arrival,” he added.

He recalls that numerous neighbors and construction workers were already at the residence attempting to assist. His 34 plus years of law enforcement training quickly kicked in as he hurried to remove the cat safely from the door.

“The neighbors were very helpful as we cautiously removed the upper frame molding that allowed some space for us to remove the cat,” he said. “With a joint effort with neighbors we were able to remove the cat alive.”

What seemed like several hours to remove the cat, the homeowner arrived on scene in a panic as he observed neighbors and deputies in his yard. Deputy Scott, holding the cat, advised the homeowner of what just occurred and the homeowner exclaimed, “Oh my God, Bella.”

Both the homeowner and Deputy Scott checked Bella out for injuries but neither of them could find any injuries.

After speaking with the homeowner further, Deputy Scott learned that most of the residents in the Autumnview neighborhood were devastated by the recent August flood and all of the neighbors had become close in the past four months.

The homeowner told Deputy Scott that he received four feet of water in his residence and he left earlier that day to get some lumber for repairs and Bella must have been sleeping on the garage door and he did not notice when he left.

“I am not much of a cat person, but no one wants to see an animal suffer,” said Deputy Scott. “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 Mike Scott worked 34 years for the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office and retired as a captain over uniform patrol in 2011. After two short years of retirement, he returned back to the sheriff’s office as a part-time deputy and has been part-time for three years.

“It’s a privilege to be on the streets with these much younger criminal justice professionals,” said Deputy Scott. “I like to be able to assist with taking calls like such so that the younger deputies can stay available for criminal complaints and investigations,” he added.