SEQUIM — Priscilla, the longhair cat which escaped from a burning apartment complex in Sequim, is still missing, despite several reports that she is hanging out near the Clallam Co-op hardware store on East Washington Street.
The cat belongs to Pat Skinner, who lived in one of the 13 apartment units at 140 E. Washington St. The complex was badly damaged in the May 11 fire and will be razed.
Priscilla escaped from a burning apartment when firefighters entered it to battle the blaze.
One fireman thought the feline had “a little flame on it” and doused it with water, said Clallam County Fire District No. 3 Chief Steve Vogel — and the cat took off.
No people were injured in the fire, and it’s not clear if the cat was, either.
Priscilla had been recently shaved to deal with matting that occurs on longhairs and she might only have appeared to be on fire.
But the cat might have also suffered smoke inhalation and serious injury.
Holding out hope
Skinner is still holding out hope, said Rose Hughes, who answered a phone call to the number posted on fliers throughout Sequim.
The cat owner been searching the area in the mornings and evenings, and to some degree is leaving it up to fate — if Skinner finds a new apartment that will allow her to have a pet, Hughes said, then there’s a chance that Priscilla is still out there.
Investigators suspect an electrical problem started the early morning blaze. Skinner was already gone from her apartment when the fire started.
Those with information about the cat’s whereabouts can contact Peninsula Friends of Animals at 360-452-0414.
Priscilla was the group’s first cat adoption from its Safe Haven sanctuary, having been rescued from a trash bin after being abandoned.
