Florida Man Saves Stranded Cat From Floodwaters of Hurricane Ian
In the wake of Hurricane Ian, stories of survival and rescue are surfacing. One Florida man is being hailed a hero by viewers around the world after rescuing a cat from rushing flood waters in Bonita Springs. The video of the rescue went viral on Twitter, with over 3.7 million views.
Mike Ross was sheltering at his parents home after his was flooded beneath "10 feet of water" when he spotted an orange-and-white cat stranded atop a mounted air conditioning unit.
Surrounded by floodwaters resulting from powerful storm surge (reaching up to 12 feet in some areas), the cat looked terrified as it had nowhere to go. Wading through the knee-deep waters and fighting against a powerful current, Ross reached the stranded cat, scooped him up, and carried him to safety.
My boyfriend saving a cat from flood waters near Bonita Beach. #HurricaneIan #Naples #Bonita #FortMyers pic.twitter.com/BlBC9P1rdy
— Megan Cruz Scavo (@MeganScavo) September 28, 2022
The video was posted by Megan Cruz Scavo, Ross' girlfriend, and recorded by his mother, Marybeth Ross.
They have named the ginger tabby Ian and the kitty is safe and sound with the Ross family. If they can't locate Ian's family, they plan to keep him. Until then, we can rest assured knowing Ian has a safe place to rest.
Not every animal has been as fortunate as Ian. Shelters across less-impacted areas of South Florida are rushing to help pets (and strays). Including the Humane Society of Broward County (through which Meowingtons has fostered cats as part of our Office Cats Program). HS Broward has just received over three dozen cats and dogs, "including a nursing dog with her puppies and nursing cat with her kittens."
Animal rescues from other states are sending teams to aid families and pets in need.
Our followers may know that Meowingtons headquarters are based in South Florida, as well as the Good Luck Cat Cafe that we support; here in Fort Lauderdale, we were missed by the worst of the storm. But the homes of some of the Meowingtons team were damaged severely by the flooding, but they and their pets are all safe and uninjured.
This isn't the first time a hurricane cat rescue made headlines. Check out some of our previous stories, including the Six-Toed "Hemingway Cats" surviving Hurricane Irma, which devastated the Florida Keys in 2017; and the story of "Survivor" and his cat dad in the floodwaters of Hurricane Florence.
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