Advertisement Cats trapped in Old Market apartment rescued, reunited with owner 'My neighbor in the alleyway saw the black smoke in my condo; I didn't have a lot of hope' Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A woman's pets were stranded inside the apartments above Market House, on the block of the M's Pub fire.Omaha firefighters say crews attempted to rescue the cats Monday, but were unable due to the cats being scared and skittish. "We're cognizant of the fact that it means a lot to someone so we take that into consideration when we go in for them," said Battalion Chief Tim McCaw. "Animals are part of the family to a lot of people. We take it very seriously and keep people feelings in mind."Goliath and Perlina had been trapped since Saturday, until finally being rescued Tuesday morning."A lot of people start their family with kids, a husband, or a wife," said Lindsey Klotz, the cats' owner. "I start mine with my cats."Klotz said she's had the cats for several years -- one for three years; the other for two. When she started searching for the cats, anxiety grew when her neighbors told her the conditions they saw inside her condo.According to Klotz, the neighbors saw "the condo full of black smoke." Klotz said she lost hope after that."There were a lot of people praying for a miracle and I cant thank them enough because that's what it was a miracle," said Klotz.Klotz said she's grateful she has her cats -- finally able to look ahead."There's a lot of talking to insurance right now about what to do moving forward, but none of that really matters to me -- not until I had my cats," said Klotz.McCaw said his department is thankful for the good ending."That's one of the things you always hope for in an event like this -- especially considering the conditions we fought the fire in and the icy conditions," said McCaw. "There were smiles all around when we bought them to Lindsey."