A Purr-Fect End
By BRIGITTE WILLIAMS, BRIAN HAMACHER and HEIDI SINGER
April 15, 2006 -- Meow-alleluia!
Curiosity did not kill the cat after all as Molly was finally rescued last night from inside a brick wall after being stuck in the basement of a Greenwich Village store for two weeks.
The miracle feline - looking slightly dehydrated and dirty - was freed at 10:15 p.m. after a group of volunteer rescue workers dismantled the wall of the landmark building, guided by her meows and an acoustics expert.
"It feels like I won the lottery," her proud owner, Peter Myers declared after giving his prized purrer a big cuddle.
"She needs something to drink. I know I do," he added, before feeding the famished feline a plate of roast pork and sardines marinated in oil and water.
Molly's adoring fans, who have kept vigil outside the Myers of Keswick British food store since her plight became national news last week, let out a cheer as the cat was placed inside a cage and handed over to Animal Control & Care.
"We are going to send her to the Bahamas," Myers joked, proudly holding up her cage.
While he said she would undergo a vet check-up today, her rescuers gave her a thumbs up.
"She looked fine. She could be a little dehydrated," said Michael Pastore, who works for Animal Care & Control.
Pastore praised the team of volunteers who finished up a nearby city job and came down to the store to offer their services.
"This was a team effort. We didn't want the avalanche of rubble to fall on her," he said. "It's not rocket science, but we were all intrigued by it."
One of the volunteers, Kevin Clifford, 33, had the proud honor of pulling Molly out of the tight corner she had jammed herself in.
"I did it brick by brick," explained Clifford. "I was scared to hurt her, but she didn't bite me. Her two legs were stuck between a gutter system. I grabbed her legs and that was it."
Earlier in the day, the scene around the food store had turned into a zoo.
Joining the animal rescuers, the curious children and the media circus was a giant white mouse The Post sent to lure out Molly.
Desperate rescuers even turned to a pet psychic yesterday hoping she might help snare the lost master mouser.
"I'm feeling her on the left side," Maxine Albert told workers trying to coax Molly out from behind a brick wall in the 19th-century Greenwich Village building.
It was acoustics expert Al Fierstein, however, who provided the vital clue to her whereabouts after he used special sound equipment to judge from where her meows were coming.
The Post's giant white mouse - who danced teasingly and squeaked in front of the basement door to catch the cat's attention - had less success, just in eliciting howls of laughter from the crowd.
"Oh, for sure, this is going to do it," giggled neighbor Pamela LaBonne, 67.
"Damn, these mice in New York are getting big!" quipped passer-by Mary Edwards of Brooklyn.
brigitte.williams@nypost.com
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