A video of a cat returning to an empty home following a fire has shattered hearts.
Andres Vera works for a restoration company, traveling to homes affected by a house fire to check in with the homeowners, and assist and guide them moving forward. Last month, he went over to a house where the fire happened in the middle of the night, which is when the cat ran off.
"A lot of times cats will typically go to a dark area like underneath the bed, but in this case, the house fire was really bad and I guess they had the doors open and the cat got out," Vera told Newsweek.
The commotion of the accident and the bright lights from the fire trucks must've confused the cat as she ran off and no one could find her. That is until Vera returned later that afternoon.
When he went to check on the house, he said no one was home. The renters moved to a hotel, heartbroken that they thought their cat was gone for good. However, in his October 2 TikTok video posted to the account @sober_doper, he showed what he saw running down the driveway toward him: the missing cat.
The cat returned home only to discover an empty home. Terrified, she immediately started meowing, seeking sought help from Vera. He immediately jumped in to comfort her. He's seen this before in his line of work and said it's always the hardest part of his job.
Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. The family returned later that day and found their cat. Vera wrote in the caption that they were "super happy to have her back."
The TikTok video amassed over 7.1 million views, 1.7 million likes and 4,267 comments as of Thursday. People were thrilled to hear they were reunited after such a traumatic experience.
"She must've been so confused for that while. So glad this baby girl is reunited with her fam," commented a viewer.
Another echoed: "She was probably stressed to see no one there. Happy she was reunited. She came to you for comfort."
Fire Pet Safety
The American Red Cross reported that home fires are the most common disaster the organization responds to and in order to keep your pets safe, include them in your family plan. To prepare, the Red Cross recommends having a disaster supply kit for your pets. It would also be good to have a safe place set in advance for your pets to stay if you need to leave your home.
Disaster preparation also means practicing your escape plan. Walk the route with your pets. Be sure to train them when you call. The American Red Cross stated evacuating your pets with you is the most important thing you can do to protect them. However, the organization stressed that you must not delay escape or endanger yourself or your family in order to rescue a family pet.