Kymberly Chelf has been a “mama” to her two-year-old cat, Moosie , since he was three weeks old. His survival was a miracle back then. Discovered trapped in a wall after his mom died, she bottle-fed the kitten until the two became very attached.
That’s why his disappearance two months ago was so devastating, she and husband Jesse told Newsminer . The pair packed up for a long move after Jesse — who is in the Army — was transferred from Fort Bliss near El Paso, Texas, to Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks, Alaska.
Once the boxes were packed, taped, and everything — furniture included — loaded onto the moving van, they realized their beloved tabby was nowhere to be found, Kymberly said. They thought he’d run away, perhaps escaping through an open door during the move.
“We just assumed he had run away, which was very unlike Moosie. He’s just a very loyal, loving cat. We have so many good friends down there that were constantly looking for him. We had a plan (for) when we found Moose cause we were confident we would find him.”
The Chelfs enlisted a friend to be on call should a vet or shelter find the tabby, activated his microchip, and after a final three days in Texas and several more searches, left for their new home heartbroken. They hoped for a miracle.
The couple arrived in Alaska, their furniture following behind soon after. They unpacked their boxes and the movers started bringing in the furniture, a futon one of the last things to emerge from the van. As it was lugged up the stairs, Kymberly heard something that chilled her to the bone.
Moosie was meowing.
“He’d given it everything he had to let us know he was in there. It just broke my heart.”
The miracle cat had climbed into the futon’s mattress, which was then put in a box, then a truck, boat, and train, and traveled thousands of miles over 64 days , KTVA reported. The cat had no food or water, and lived for those two months in complete darkness.
His mama was elated.
“I called for my husband and was like, ‘We found Moosie,’ ” she recalled. “The look on his face was just disbelief.”
They rushed the cat to the vet and have since put several thousand dollars toward his recovery, which has been difficult. Vet Dr. Hayden Nevill said Moosie will recover, but he’s needed several hours of surgery, a blood transfusion, and a week in the hospital. His liver was damaged and his digestive system had to be restarted, but his kidneys are fine.
That Moosie survived after so many weeks without food or water is nothing short of a miracle, and his human parents are naturally incredibly happy to have their loving pet back.
“It’s a long road to recovery for him, but we’re looking forward to having him back and getting him nice and fat again.”
You can follow the miracle cat’s recovery on Facebook.
[Photo Courtesy Facebook]
