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Fort Mac's 'oven cat' reunited with family

One lucky feline from Fort McMurray proved that cats really do have nine lives.
Tux received medical care on his burnt paws after being rescued from an overturned stove by firefighters.
Tux received medical care on his burnt paws after being rescued from an overturned stove by firefighters.

One lucky feline from Fort McMurray proved that cats really do have nine lives.

Tux – now affectionately nicknamed “Toast” – has made headlines across the country, after he survived “the Beast” wildfire by hiding in an over-turned oven, only to be rescued and returned safely to his family.

“I didn’t even know the story until after we got him (back),” said Jody Lishchynsky, Tux’s owner, who heard about his miraculous rescue through a mix of word of mouth and online articles.

“We heard that firefighter was putting out hot spots and decided to look in the stove and save his life,” she said.

Firefighters explained to Lishchynsky that the glass on the stove’s door was broken, likely by an explosion, and that Tux had climbed inside. Another explosion probably knocked the appliance over, trapping the cat inside and insulating him from the flames.

It took lots of scouring over social media – and one case of mistaken pet identity – but Lishchynsky and her son Landon, 12, were reunited with Tux, and with another one of their cats, Sky Squeaker.

Both had singed fur, toasted whiskers and some slight burns, but are ultimately in good health.

For now, the group has settled in Boyle, where Lishchynsky’s brother has a cabin. They are hoping to return to Fort McMurray on June 1, the date proposed by the provincial government should conditions stay stable. At that point, they will focus on finding a place to rent as they figure out their next steps.

Having some of their feline friends returned to them has been a highlight in a difficult time, Lishchynsky said.

Her home was located in the Waterways neighbourhood of Fort McMurray, 90 per cent of which was lost after flames encompassed the area.

Lishchynsky said her family did not receive a call for evacuation before fleeing their home. Driven by a gut feeling, she left work early, picked up her son from school, and began packing up their most important belongings.

“We started gathering, and my brother was in the backyard with my roommate,” Lishchynsky said. “He got a call that the wind shifted and the fire was in our backyard within, like, two minutes.”

What happened next was a blur, she said, as they rushed to escape the encroaching flames.

“My son ran to the truck out of the house, my roommate ran out to the back and the flames were on both sides of the road by her truck by then, so she had to gun it through flames,” Lishchynsky said. “It wasn’t extreme. It was just starting then.”

She ran to her own truck, arms loaded with important documents. After that one load, she said, there just wasn’t enough time to head back into the house.

“The fire was already on the road coming towards my son. I had to choose – go upstairs and leave him freaked out with the fire coming towards him or leave, and I just hoped for the best for the cats. We had to leave. The dog followed, but the cats didn’t, they scattered.”

It was not an easy decision for the animal lover.

“It was really, really hard. My son was really upset, I was really upset,” she said. “But there was nothing we could do. It was too fast and out of our control.”

Aerial photos taken after the fire show that Lishchynsky’s home is no longer standing, which makes Sky and Tux’s rescue all the more meaningful to her.

“I really want to thank the firefighters for being so great with all of the animals. There are a lot of happy people out there reunited with their pets because of them,” she said.

She also praised the many volunteers who helped co-ordinate animal rescue and shelter operations for their dedication to helping so many four-legged friends, and the people across the country who have reached out to her with warm words and offers to help.

Friends and even strangers who have come across Tux’s story are pushing to get Lishchynsky on the Ellen DeGeneres talk show, to share her experience.

“People are pushing it, people are Facebooking her and sending the story,” she said. “I can’t think that far ahead. That would be kind of neat, but I don’t know if it would go that far.”

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