The Australian fires are still raging, with fears blazes will continue until spring. With so many animals tragically lost in one of the country’s most intense wave of wildfires in recorded history, hearing of animals surviving the flames gives us hope.
Angel the cat’s story is one such tale of survival and hope.
In New South Wales, Ben Symonds and his family were forced to leave their property when bushfires raged through their area. The family’s cats, both accustomed to indoor life, escaped in the chaos. Angel and Mickey fled to the bush to hide from the fire. The family searched but the fires were coming and they had to go.
When Ben and his family returned to the property, fire had ravaged the land and the two cats were nowhere to be found. On Reddit, Ben posted, “Fire consumed most of our property.”
“Every inch of our property is black, only the grass around the house survived.”
The Symonds worried for the cats upon seeing the devastation and Ben’s stepdad worried he’d lost his “closest companion”, Angel.
With hopes of luring the kitty cats out of hiding, the Symonds put out food and searched daily. Almost a week went by with no feline sightings and hopes of seeing the cats again grew dim.
But, a cat should never be counted out. The brilliant little masterminds often find a way.
An Angel Emerges
Seven days after the fire burned through, Angel wandered out of a scorched gully, looking for her family.
Ben and his family assumed “she ran down a wombat hole and managed to survive deep underground.”
The Symonds took the stunned cat to the vet, where the news was good. “Her ears are the only things that really got injured, her feet are not even burnt, she’s happy and super cuddly.”
Her burned ears required trimming and will need further attention. The brave cat lost her whiskers too, “but her lungs and eyes are ok, as are her feet and skin. She should make a full recovery.”
On having Angel back after such devastation, Ben said, “It’s an amazing feeling after we accepted her loss.”
He also said, “She seems pretty stoked and loving the attention.”
Ben hopes the family experiences more good news in the form of Mickey’s return.
While there is no news on Mickey, the family holds out hope the missing cat appears too. Cat lovers know the possibility is good because cats are resourceful creatures of high intellect. We’re hoping Mickey comes home too.
Ben also offered praise to Bega Vets, as the practice is “treating all fire damaged animals for free as well as giving out food and pet beds…It’s so great to see the community come together in these dire times.”
With kind hearts hard at work, success stories like Angel’s are coming out of Australia everyday. To the volunteers and rescue workers coming to Australia’s aid, thank you. And to those affected by the fires, our thoughts and prayers are with you.
The Australian bushfires have caused the loss of several of the country’s animals. Consider donating to help relief efforts:
- Adopt a koala through the Koala Hospital. Your adoption will help fund rescue and treament efforts for koalas affected by the disaster.
- Donate to WIRES Wildlife Rescue’s Emergency Fund to help them rescue as many animals in New South Wales as they can.
- Join iHeartDogs and iHeartCats in raising money for relief efforts through GreaterGood.org by clicking through to the Facebook post below:
https://www.facebook.com/iHeartDogscom/posts/10159678401093079?__tn__=-R
H/T: Metro UK
Feature Image: Courtesy of Bozwoggle/Reddit