Bushfires may happen any time of year in Australia, therefore Australians are used to them. This wildfire season, on the other hand, has been devastating and is far from done. Bushfires, according to studies, have killed over a billion animals and caused havoc on humanity, ecosystems, and the environment.
Ben Symonds’ family was one of the hundreds of families forced to evacuate as bushfires swept through their neighborhood and bore down on their home in New South Wale’s Baga Valley.
Angel and Mickey, the family’s two beloved cats, fled into the bushland and were never seen again when the family was evacuating. Ben and his family returned home after the fire was put out, but their animals were still gone.
The family kept calling out for the cats and leaving food all over the home to bring them in return. “We truly expected them to be back in 3-4 days if they survived,” Symonds said.
The family ultimately accepted that they had lost everything in the bushfires, including their beloved pet cats, after several days of searching. But suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Angel came.
“We didn’t even recognize her. She was just brown and orange and just singed and burnt, sitting there looking at us.”
Angel, the family’s beloved cat, had come home safely, and the family had been overjoyed. Their indoor cat made it seven days in the bush before returning home with only a wounded ear. Ben then took her to the vet to see if she had any further injuries. Fortunately, she suffered no life-threatening injuries.
“It’s an amazing feeling after we accepted her loss. Her ears are the only things that really got injured, her feet are not even burnt, and she’s happy and super cuddly” Ben wrote in a social media post along with pictures of his cat.
“She seems pretty stoked and loving attention. Now I just hope the other cat comes back,” Ben said. Ben Symonds is a lucky pet owner, and we hope that his cat Mickey is safe and will return home soon.
