Bart's journey to his survival is nothing short of a miracle. He was one and a half years old when he was found after being hit by a car, presumed dead and was later buried.
Five days later, the cat showed up in a neighbor's yard, alive!
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
"He had dug himself out of the grave and slowly made his way back home, albeit weak, dehydrated and in need of medical attention," Humane Society of Tampa Bay wrote on their blog.
Bart was brought to Humane Society Tampa Bay's Animal Health Center where staff quickly began treating him for a broken jaw, open facial wounds and an eye that wasn't salvageable, but HSTB veterinarians expected him to recover.
Meanwhile, HSTB learned new information about Bart's home environment and the circumstances leading up to his burial, and decided to fight for the best interests of this cat.
A few days after Bart came to the facility, he surprised everyone by taking his first bites of food. That was a great sign of his recovery.
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
Day by day, miracle cat Bart continued to improve. A week after Bart was taken in, he got up and walked to the door to greet the staff with chirps and meows.
His appetite came back and he was interested in eating again. He made everyone very proud that day. Soon Bart continued to eat more and more. He would empty his dish and take his meds orally with no complaint. He was such a champ!
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
"When we went to visit him, he was cleaning himself and full of meows and headbutts for us," HSTB said in an update. His personality was starting to shine through.
A couple of weeks later, Bart was using his litter box like a pro and making great strides in his recovery, lounging in sunbeams and enjoying attention and affection from volunteers and staff.
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
People around the world were sending love to Bart, and many traveled to Tampa Bay to visit this very special kitty.
"He is a courageous, friendly, silly and affectionate kitty who greets us each day with happy enthusiasm and makes us laugh with his goofy way of jumping on our keyboards and trying to eat our lunches," HSTB wrote.
Today, HSTB was legally granted ownership of Bart. Hours later, his foster family made his place in their home permanent.
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
The miracle cat now weighs twice as much as he did when he was first rescued.
Bart bonded with a feline sister and a feline brother at his foster home, and now they will be together forever.
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
Bart is a true miracle cat! Share this story with your friends. There are still many animals are looking for their forever homes at HSTB, you can click here to see more.
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