A missing cat caused a huge commotion at LF Wade International Airport on Saturday.An off-duty firefighter ended up being the hero of the morning.Sergeant Allan Wilkinson used brute strength to pull “Flash” and his would-be rescuers to safety the cat had lodged itself in a steep-sided tidal pond after its bold escape from a carrier box at the airport check-in.The day had been an emotional one from the start for Bermudian Barbie Shanks and her 13-year-old daughter Sophia.The pair were relocating to the UK via Canada along with their pet dog and cat.The journey to the airport with family friend Lorraine Simon seemed to go fine. Disaster struck when the cat’s carrier was knocked to the floor and fell open.“The cat just took off. Barbie tried running after it but she tripped and split her lip. Everybody yelled to keep the doors closed, but right at that moment someone was coming in, and the cat went outside. It’s just a house cat and it was terrified. It just ran,” Mrs Simon said.Approximately 20 airport staff, passengers and security pitched in for the search.With the dog and luggage loaded onto the plane, a tearful Ms Shanks had to leave with the Air Canada flight.Sophia agreed to stay behind with Mrs Simon, to try and find Flash.“Sophia and I went back outside. We decided to take one last look around by the lake down near the entrance,” Mrs Simon said.The two could hear the cat mewing from Ware Lake it took them more than an hour to find where the cat had hidden.“I caught a glimpse of its head sticking out, right down by the water. It’s a long way down and I couldn’t figure out how we’d get down there for this cat. A man and his son came over to help us, and the crazy part is the man came back with a rope and told Sophia he could tie it around her and lower her down. I couldn’t believe she just said OK to this,” Mrs Simon said.Sophia took off her shoes, was given heavy-duty gloves, and got lowered over the side.“She got drenched, but she was able to grab the cat out of a niche in the rocks. But then she couldn’t get back up the rope, because she couldn’t let go of this cat. So the man lowered me down by his other hand, and I was able to grab the cat. He must have had superhuman force to pull me back up. Then he pulled Sophia up with the rope.”The two ran frantically back into the airport to lock the cat into the Air Canada office before it could escape again. There, they realised they’d forgotten to thank the man who had come to their aid.Mrs Simon’s husband Richard drove to the airport with a new cat carrier and Sophia managed to get on a later flight to Canada.Mrs Simon then started another search for the man who had helped rescue the cat.“I saw somebody putting tickets on cars in the parking lot. I figured I’d have gotten a ticket, but the man said I hadn’t been ticketed because Air Canada had already told him about what happened. And he told me we’d been helped by an off-duty fireman called Sgt Allan Wilkinson, and his son Allan Wilkinson Jr.“We’re writing a letter to commend Sgt Wilkinson, and I’d like to thank him personally for helping us.”She has also thanked Air Canada and airport staff.Sophia arrived in Halifax at 1am Sunday, reuniting family and cat.Ms Shanks said yesterday: “Flash is fine, he’s only nibbling at treats and sipping water and hiding under furniture.“Leaving Bermuda I told people we were off on an adventure. I didn’t realise it would have such an adventurous start.”