A 3-week-old kitten believed to have fallen inside of a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Florida and trapped there for three days was rescued by firefighters Sunday.

Officials say they still aren’t sure how the kitten, newly christened “Abe,” became trapped inside of a handmade statue of the 16th president at the Presidents Hall of Fame in Clermont. Locals said they heard the kitten’s mews for three days before anyone noticed that they were coming from inside the statue.

Finally on Sunday, staff members at the Presidents Hall of Fame, a tourist attraction filled with replicas of presidential landmarks including a fake Mount Rushmore and a 28-by-14-foot model of the White House, began to worry that a cat might be inside and notified the Minneola Fire Department.

Daniel Davis, a manager and spokesman for the Humane Society, arrived with firefighters to assess Abe’s situation but was mystified about how he got into the statue. Some staffers theorized that he might have fallen in through a hole at the top, but Davis was skeptical.

"I don’t see how a little kitten, a 3-week old kitten could have gotten up there," said Davis. "It couldn't crawl up there.”

Fortunately, firefighters were able to cut an opening in the back of the statue and lowered a man inside. After several minutes, he emerged with the kitten in hand. Abe was greeted by a crowd of cheers, and given a towel and a syringe with a milk-like formula. The Daily Mail reported that he had suffered from dehydration, but was expected to make a full recovery.

When he recovers, John Zweifel, curator of the Presidents Hall of Fame, plans to adopt him.

"He's going to have a nice Thanksgiving now," said an onlooker who stood by for Abe’s rescue.

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