"They were the only thing that has mattered from the beginning," Kelly McClure said about the cats. "We didn't care about the stuff."
View full sizeMichael Roescher, of Monson, kneels on the front steps that used to lead up to his home on Washington Street. To the left is a board that has pictures of the seven cats he initially lost following the June 1 tornado.MONSON - Michael D. Roescher never gave up hope that he would find all seven of his cats after the June 1 tornado collapsed his house at 8 Washington St. while they were all inside it.
For days, Roescher camped outside, amid the rubble, so he could search for his pets during the night.
Some were dug out of the rubble, some had to be lured with food, and on Sunday, the last cat, Rocky, was finally recovered at 4:30 a.m.
When Rocky saw Roescher, he rolled over on his belly to greet his owner.
"I'm thrilled to death," Roescher said. "Beyond belief, I am shocked . . . How did they survive?"
All the cats are OK, with few injuries save for some bruised paws from trying to dig themselves out.
Roescher, 48, has posted a sign outside where his rented home used to be that lists the names and pictures of the cats and the days they were found.
First came Felix two days after the tornado, followed by Plumley that same day. Both were dug out of the rubble.
Then came Samson and Franky, technically his stepdaughter Kelly McClure's cats, on June 4 and 5. Franky ran over to Roescher, and got into his arms. Samson was pried from the rubble, and crawled into McClure's arms.
Cujetta, a stray Roescher recently picked up in Worcester, was found stuck in a wall on June 5. Cosette was found a few days later, with help from some young women from Springfield who came out to help, again in the rubble.
Rocky, an 18-pound orange cat, proved to be the most elusive.
"He was fast, like a panther on the roll," Roescher said.
Now Roescher and his 28-year-old stepdaughter are piecing their lives back together. They were home when the tornado struck.
In a strange coincidence, his mother until recently lived in Joplin, Mo. where a tornado struck last month, damaging her home.
On June 1, he was working, when he said that McClure told him, "'There's a tornado in the backyard.'"
He looked out and saw "3-D IMax destruction of the town happening in my backyard.
The wind was moving left to right as fast as it could go," Roescher said. "I saw 60 foot trees being ripped out of the ground. It was 15 feet behind us when we turned to head for the basement."
"The most horrific part, was I was blinded by the dirt, then I saw the physical house move up and go 8 feet east. The whole time it was trying to suck me out and all the garbage from the basement was going up in the air," he added. "Something hit me in the head. It was like being in a blender."
When it was over, he thought he was dead. His daughter pulled him out of the rubble.
Then he realized everything he had was gone.
"Not having renter's insurance, everything I've accumulated up to the age of 48 was destroyed. I thought, 'No way the cats could have survived,'" Roescher said.
Roescher was taken to the hospital that night, where he received five stitches in his arm and stayed overnight; his daughter was OK. The next day, he returned to the scene, and they found their old, blind goldfish Silver still alive, in two inches of water, in the debris.
"Once we found the goldfish alive, we started digging for the cats," Roescher said.
"They were the only thing that has mattered from the beginning," McClure said. "We didn't care about the stuff."
He set up traps with tuna fish, and searched at night, figuring they would be hiding during the day. The efforts paid off, and Roescher credits the teams of volunteers who assisted him with the searches, who heard telltale meows, and the volunteers that came by with food and water. Fire Chief George L. Robichaud even freed one of the cats one night, only to have it run off.
Two of the cats, Franky and Cujetta, now are temporarily at Second Chance Animal Shelter in East Brookfield. Samson is staying with McClure in Brimfield, and Felix, Plumley, Cosette and Rocky, and Silver the fish, are staying with Roescher in Worcester.
Roescher, a master electrician who designs and installs commercial fire alarm systems, plans to return to Monson, once he can find somewhere to live that can accommodate the family and all of their pets. He said the cats give him "unconditional love," and only ask to be fed, nothing more.
He plans to hold a "big birthday party" for himself at the rubble in two weeks.
"I cherished and loved Monson . . . I will be there for the rebuilding effort," Roescher said.