The black cat Lola was trapped inside her small hiding place in a two-story home in New York for several days. As John DeBacker from the Long Island Cat/Kitten Solution (LICKS) said, she disappeared in the floors when the residents had left. The residents tried to use all the methods trapping, food, treats, and cameras. Lola did not react much on that.
Even someone stayed at night in a corner trying to hear something. Then it was found out that she got stuck in the wall cavity between the two studs. And the place was so small that she could not turn back once she got upside down, said DeBacker for Inside Edition.
DeBacker, known as the “Catman” for his track record of tough feline rescues from walls, sewers, pipes and highways, crawled into the hole. The video shows him in a black shirt with a yellow CATMAN logo, peering into a rough, vertical gap. Drywall debris, insulation and tools litter the floor. A light shines into the cavity. Moments later the dusty black cat’s hindquarters come out. Hands carefully take her off, then put her into a white plastic carrier lined with a towel. Bits of insulation cling to her fur.
At the vet, she was diagnosed with hair and insulation in her stomach that she somehow groomed or swallowed while trapped. Her bloodwork was normal despite not eating or drinking for about a week, and she was treated and released in good health, according to the rescue account shared by Inside Edition.
DeBacker has a long history of similar rescues across Long Island. LICKS is a nonprofit that does trap-neuter-return work for feral and community cats, and he’s the vice president, often tending to calls free of charge. Local media has been featuring him for years, from highway medians to underground pipes.
Cats somehow are able to survive remarkably long periods of time inside building voids because of the physiology of their bodies. The upside down position and inability to move made this one especially precarious. Rescuers said they got to her just in time given the cramped nature of the space.
A cat named Lola was trapped in a cavity of a two-story New York house’s wall after the tenants moved out. The owner tried to lure her out with treats, traps, and cameras. John DeBacker of LICKS opened the drywall and pulled her out of the hole: she was alive. Inside Edition aired the story on Sept. 22, 2026: they showed the video and DeBacker’s statements. The inside edition’s staff has thoroughly reviewed the footage and the circumstances around the rescue. The story is consistent with the narrative of the cat being stuck in the drywall cavity, as described by the homeowners and seen in the video.
However, what is presented as the rescue is primarily an excerpt from the story that describes the rescue the precise length of time spent upside down, the content of the stomach, and the release documents for the pet are not found elsewhere. It is mentioned in the Inside Edition segment and the shared social media posts about the cat’s adventure, but no official veterinary statements or owner reports have been published on Sept. 24, 2026. The video evidence shows the cat being pulled out, but it does not confirm each of the claims made about the rescue.
