Voorheesville man looking for his cat after devastating house fire

VOORHEESVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A man in Voorheesville is looking for his cat after his house caught fire last Wednesday, destroying everything inside.

In a pile of memories that used to make up Eric Erkkinen's home, he is still looking for one piece that he doesn't want to leave behind.

“Mornings I wake up and you know, I'm in the nightmare again, I wake up in the morning and think is this real?” said Erkkinen.

His house on Krystal Lane burst into flames last Wednesday, April 16. Erkkinen said he left for about 45 minutes to get something to eat, when his neighbor called and said his house was on fire.

"I came and you know there was smoke pouring out of the roof and flames and I was just watching my everything go away, everything I worked for, everything I made, just everything gone," said Erkkinen.

However, nothing has been worse than not being able to find his cat and his best friend, Fluffy. Fluffy is a hairless sphynx cat that Erkkinen rescued about three years ago.

“He's the friendliest cat you'll ever meet in your life, just beautiful. I mean everything about him was so nice," said Erkkinen. "I mean I liked him so much that every day I thanked him for being there."

Fluffy turned eight on Saturday, but Erkkinen said he was not home to celebrate. Fire crews did not find any signs of Fluffy left in the house during their investigation.

“This guy really was like soulmate material, almost you know, and I miss him a lot. I don't know where he is, I haven't found him yet, but I just want to know,” said Erkkinen.

Erkkinen believes it's possible that Fluffy escaped from the fire and ran away. That's why he spent his Easter Sunday searching for his "little buddy" -- much different than the past Easters he's had.

“You know, I come over here and I just dig through the rubble with a pitchfork," said Erkkinen.

On Sunday, Erkkinen even left out his jacket that Fluffy used to like sleeping on while Erkkinen was away. Alongside the jacket, is a purple blanket that he said smells like home, and a crate for Fluffy to sleep in. Erkkinen said he wishes more than anything to wake up and find Fluffy in there.

"Best case scenario would be to see him again and he and I could get through this together and it would be really cool," said Erkkinen. "It's a horrible tragedy and I don't wish this on anybody ever, ever but I mean to have him would be so much better, so much. He’s my little buddy."

Erkkinen said neighbors have been a huge help so far. On Saturday, he said a few neighbors went out and helped him search the area. Erkkinen has also been putting up posters, asking people to search under their decks and porches. Anyone with information should contact this number -- 518-423-3126.