Alaskan Couple Miraculously Reunites with Cat 26 Days After Their House Fell Into a River
While two Alaskan teachers, Elizabeth Wilkins and Tom Schwartz, were on a mountain biking trip in Oregon, they never expected heir new home to be literally washed away. But sure enough, by the time they returned home, there was no home to return to.
Someone caught the moment their home fell into the Mendenhall River on camera, and it went viral on August 5, within hours of the incident. Still, the popular video is no consolation for the couple who lost nearly everything--including their beloved pet cat.
The couple got Leo the tuxedo cat as a rescued kitten during the COVID pandemic, so Elizabeth knew just what a resilient feline he is. Immediately after the house was swept away from the river's glacial outburst flood, their Juneu community came together to keep an eye out for the survivor cat. 26 days later--it paid off!
What a relief! We can only imagine Tom and Elizabeth's joy when they saw Leo for the first time since the disaster. Although some may have been surprised in their situation, the cat's mom had all the confidence in the world.
"I knew that he’s pretty smart, and so I felt pretty confident that he would escape and be OK somewhere,” she told WHAS. And she was right! Despite being a bit underweight, Leo was healthy when he was finally reunited with his parents. She believes he survived by catching mice, especially since the black and white kitty had been spotted around the neighborhood. A good samaritan posted a picture of the cat nearly a month after the flood on a neighborhood Facebook page. Naturally, Elizabeth rushed out to meet him!
The community's support made all the difference in the world in helping Leo reunite with his family. The couple weren't the only ones looking for the missing feline.
“It’s super joyful because everyone in their community was looking for him, and it’s nice to have some good news," says Elizabeth. It must be so comforting to have Leo back, especially during this trying time for the community and the couple.
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