Couple mourns death of hero cat ‘Sir Purr’ that woke them up as house burned

ALEXANDER COUNTY, N.C. — A couple said their cat woke them up in the middle of the night as their home went up in flames. They later learned that their pet did not survive the blaze.

The fire started shortly after midnight Friday along Greenleaf Circle, south of Taylorsville in Alexander County.

Reporter Dave Faherty was at the scene in the Bethlehem community Friday morning and saw where the flames had burned through the roof of the home, gutting the inside.

The couple said they were asleep when the fire started on the rear side of their home.

Mitsy Hudler said she had fallen asleep in the living room and felt something pulling on her hair.

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When she awoke, her cat, Sir Purr, was in front of her face as the fire quickly spread across the back of the home.

“Well, he actually pulled on my ponytail on the back of my head, and he woke me up to the fire,” Hudler said. “If he wouldn’t of, I probably would not have gotten out of there.”

She immediately woke up her boyfriend to escape when a window blew out.

A neighbor shot video of the fire, which destroyed much of what the couple owned.

The two spent much of the morning searching for Sir Purr, who they thought had run out the front of the home during the fire.

Shortly after noon, Channel 9 was told that the feline did not survive.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Dog saves family from house fire (NCD)

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