A North Carolina family has been reunited with their cat, Ricardo Blanco, after losing him during Hurricane Helene.
The Collins family evacuated their Burnsville home on September 27, but in the chaos, Blanco escaped and was later seen on top of their camper, which floated away in the floodwaters.
The camper collided with a neighbor’s house, and the cat fell into the water while trying to climb onto the roof of the house. The son in the family attempted to get back to save him, but was prevented by downed power lines.
After eight days of mourning, the family heard Blanco's meow while cleaning their property.
“He knew to come home, he’s a survivor."
He was treated for minor respiratory health issues at a mobile clinic created by Best Friends Animal Society, and is now recovering well.
“He’s doing fine, playing and doing all the normal stuff."
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
Folks thought this story was wonderful to hear after all the devastation of the hurricane.
@marymiles9922/YouTube
Truly a blessed animal.
@beatricerigaud8942/YouTube
@dolores2716/YouTube
@melissaharris3890/YouTube
@CaraBrookins/YouTube
Referencing the phenomenon of the universe-cat-distribution-system, someone added a new variant.
@tamjg/YouTube
Someone shared a similar story of a lost cat returning days later.
@WilmaBathan/YouTube
People love stories like this.
@bethanyshuler3906/YouTube
What people were also thinking about was what stories the cat now has.
@sarafinasegale9537/YouTube
@mobetta3456/YouTube
Ricardo Blanco is back with his family as they work to rebuild.
@PreetBharara/X
@RepBrendanBoyle/X
@twesq/Bluesky
@christopherharris/Bluesky
@evangelinewarren/X
@FrankC164/X