Natural disasters are ruthless and sudden. They will seldom give you time to think about everything and everyone, and they won’t wait on those who linger when the time comes for evacuation.

But getting left behind doesn’t always have to mean the end of it. In this recent viral story, a family shared how they watched their cat slip off the roof and float downstream while trying to reach them. The cat was nowhere to be found for over a week, but when the family returned home after an evacuation, he was there like nothing happened. Scroll down to read the full story!

Even in the face of natural disasters, cats continue to be amazing survivalists that few could rival

Image credits: Best Friends Animal Society

A cat was separated from his family during the evacuation from the floods of Hurricane Helene as he fell into the water and floated away

Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina hard, like few expected, and many people were forced out of their homes in a big rush. And since evacuating with animals has even more steps than without them, those families with pets were in for even more chaos.

The Collins, a family from Burnsville, North Carolina, was recently just in for such an experience. Barely making it out in time, they watched their home be submerged more than halfway as the enormous flood caused by the hurricane swallowed everything in its path.

Image credits: Best Friends Animal Society

When the family returned over a week later, they found their cat waiting for them back home

This view was made even sadder as the family also had to witness their beloved cat Ricardo Blanco attempt to get to the safety of the neighbor’s roof before losing his grip and falling into the water, floating downstream, not to be seen again.

But even though the family couldn’t stay and look for Blanco there and then, they never lost hope they’d see him. Sure enough, they were proven right once they returned home 8 days later. It turned out that the cat managed to make his way back home, where he had waited for his family to return all this time until they finally did.

Image credits: Best Friends Animal Society

The family took the cat to the mobile vet clinic, where he was treated for ear and eye infections, and he has since returned home and to his old self

When the family was reunited, the cat appeared mostly fine, but they understood that after such an experience, it was important to see the vet nonetheless. The main issue was that, at such a time, finding a working clinic was quite a challenge.

Fortunately, seeing many similar stories occurring all over the state, the Best Friend Animal Society decided to open a mobile clinic where they provide basic veterinary care for free during this difficult time. Here, the doctors treated Blanco for his eye and ear infections, and he was soon sent home to finish his recovery there.

Now, Ricardo is back to being his old self. “He’s doing fine, playing and doing all the normal stuff,” the cat’s owner, Nan Collins, told the Best Friend Animal Society while also explaining his unusual name. “His full name is Ricardo Blanco because he’s like a little movie actor, so full of life and playful. He’s like a puppy dog and wants to be beside you and take a walk.”

Image credits: Best Friends Animal Society

Image credits: Best Friends Animal Society

It’s no secret that cats are great survivalists, and stories like this only give us more proof of it. However, did you know that they also have something that could be called a homing instinct? It may not sound too real at first, but according to Sandra. C. Mitchell of PetMD, the animals have a remarkable ability to find their way back home, almost wherever they might end up.

It is not yet known how it works sure, but various evidence points to the theory that cats are able to make use of the Earth’s geomagnetic fields and, likely combining this with their other senses, are able to navigate very precisely.

Image credits: Best Friends Animal Society

But while all cats, regardless of how and where they live, can do this, not every cat can do it equally well. Additionally, if they get lost before they manage to settle into their new home, for example, right after moving to a new place, chances are they might attempt to return to their old home, regardless of how far it may be.

And yet, while some lost cats turn up years later, miles away, according to the statistics, most of the time, they’re found in well under a year, no further than within 500 meters.

Image credits: Best Friends Animal Society

So, ultimately, it seems like Blanco actually played it smart and safe, returning to where he knew he would be found and waiting. And while the initial events were likely terrifying for both him and his family, at the very end, everything turned out to be fine, and that’s the only important part.

The commenters liked the story and loved that it had a happy ending, and had similar stories to share of their own

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