First, I reluctantly inform you that Matthew did not use any of the names suggested by readers for his new kitten. Instead, he went with the name they had tentatively chosen at the beginning—Harry. As he said, the source is obvious to anyone who has a teenager, and his daughter chose the name. Sadly, since nobody won, nobody gets a book; but we’ll have another contest soon.
As solace, here’s a picture of Harry taken today, sitting in a box:
*******
The big cat news of the week is the story of Zombie Cat, which many readers told me about. Bart, a cat from Tampa Bay Florida, was hit by a car, buried by his owner after he showed no sign of life, and then—five days later—turned up alive but in bad shape. He had clawed his way out of the grave. From The Independent:
Ellis Hutson told vets that he had found Bart lying in a pool of blood after he was hit by a car, and had taken him away and buried him. He could not explain how the cat came to be spotted by neighbours five days later.
Vets said that the most likely explanation was that the cat was just unconscious, and clawed his way out of the grave before hiding for a few days until he became hungry. Hutson reportedly claimed he was “sure” Bart had been dead.
From ABC News:
The cat’s owner, Hutson, 52, said he found Bart the cat two weeks ago in the middle of the road, lifeless in a puddle of blood.
Hutson said he asked his friend to help bury the 23-month old cat, because the landscaper was so distraught after losing a companion he’s had since he was a kitten.
“We were so close, I couldn’t stand to bury him,” Hutson said. “I put him on the shoulder of the road and went and got David. He dug a hole and covered up the cat with dirt. I witnessed him bury the cat.”
Five days later, the cat showed up in a neighbor’s yard alive, but weak, dehydrated and in need of medical attention.
“I open the door and my neighbor’s standing there with the cat in her hand,” Hutson said. “She said, ‘Bart is not dead.’ I said, ‘That’s impossible. We buried Bart.'”
Here’s what Bart looked like when he showed up. His eye was irreparably damaged, and he had a broken jaw and severe facial wounds (photos from The Independent):
The great news is that Bart is being taken care of by the vets at the Human Society, and he’s expected to make a full recovery after his left eye is removed and his jaw, now wired shut, heals. Here he is in the Cone of Shame at the vet’s.
Now of course people are attributing Bart’s survival to God. One of them is a neighbor whose own cat died the same day that Bart was hit:
Hutson’s neighbor Dusty Albritton started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the cat’s medical expenses.
“I saw him with my own eyes. I know he was dead. He was cold and stiff,” Albritton told ABC News.
Albritton’s cat died the same day with similar injuries.
“We figured he was hit by the same car,” she said.
“Now my kids believe their cat will also rise from the dead,” she said with a chuckle. “But I told them I don’t think so.”
When she discovered the resurrected Bart, she said he acted “like he’s in no pain whatsoever.”
“The only thing I can think of is that this is God’s miracle. And I thought, why five days later? If Bart was alive before, he would have come to our homes earlier. All I can think of is that God created animal life on the fifth day.“
I guess that God hated Albritton’s cat. Reader Matt sent the link to a video and his own reaction:
There are several videos. The one on nbcnews.com has an interview with the poor kitty’s staff, thanking jesus for bring his cat back from the grave. I give the kitty 5 stars for being dead 2 days longer than jesus…
Finally, here’s a YouTube video of the Lazarus Cat:
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Finally, the Pussington Post, a great source of cat stories, reports an unlikely friendship between two species of felid:
A homeless cat now named Darling wandered into the lynx cage at St. Petersburg Zoo and quickly bonded with Linda the Lynx. Despite the disparity in their size they quickly became best friends.
Instead of sending her back to the streets the zoo staff decided to adopt the domestic calico cat and gave her the name Darling.
Several years have now passed and the friends remain inseparable friends.
The video quality ain’t great, but the bond is still remarkable. I wonder if the housecat ever gets out of the cage:
h/t: Merilee and elebenty gazillion readers
Harry is looking very perky!
Poor Zombie cat! It reminds me of Kill Bill!
Obviously Bart is the Cat of God and was sent to die for our sins–or the sins of reckless hit-and-run drivers.
Yes, because there’s no other “logical explanation.”
I am trying hard not to be too annoyed by the constant and regular misuse of the word “logical” because once that one bothers me I know I’m going to be tripping over it all the time.
Literally.
Maybe this is the answer to the resurrection we have been looking for. He wasn’t really dead and back then, who would know?
Also, as a bit of advice. If you do decide to bury your pet after they actually are dead, recommend you go down at least 3 feet or more. Otherwise, it is very likely it will be dug up from above.
And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then Ceiling Cat arose, and rebuked Bart’s trauma.
Bart should write a book about going to Heaven and meeting Jesus.
“Eight Lives to Live”
Harper One pub.
That is a great idea. It can also be:
Heaven iz for Realz, By Bart the Cat as told to Doc Bill
How ’bout also told to Bill the Cat ( in his jockey shorts/y-fronts)?
Harry is a cutie, and of course he fits perfectly into any box.
Darling, friend of Lynxes, is a beautiful cat. Unusual markings for a calico.
🐾🐾🐾
Harry is sending a message. That’s a “Hush Puppies” box lid he’s chosen…
Oh my goodness, enough said.
“Harry” is clearly the best name of all. And Harry likes it the best, too. We were collectively wrong to imply otherwise.
Harry is a cutie! Having recently lost my beloved siamese SCSI, I have been unsure if I can handle sharing my life with another feline. The pain of losing SCSI has almost been too much. But seeing Hili every day, and now seeing how sweet Harry appears to be, has made me reconsider my position. There are so many cats and d*gs euthanized every day, so many abandoned, abused. I would take zombie cat in an instant! Give him a safe home far away from the car monster that almost took his life.
Our (then five year old) son is the reason we have a black cat named ‘Ginger’. And a reddish tan cat named ‘Popsicle’.
Brilliant. Kids are so free of our hang-ups.
Harry looks like a Harry to me. It suits.
I heard from one news source (Fox I think) that the Humane Society wasn’t letting zombie cat go home because of an “unsuitable environment”. No idea if that’s true.
I love the cat and lynx vid!
Yup. I did a quick search.
http://www.wfla.com/story/27989956/tuf-of-war-over-zombie-cat
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/humane-society-tampa-zombie-cat-wont-return-to-owner/2215803
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/31/bart-zombie-cat-back-to-owner-humane-society_n_6582734.html
Seems there are some concerns that maybe Bart was moving when he was found and that he won’t have the appropriate care at home (partly because there’s a child in the house).
If this cat was dead 2 days longer than that other dude, I guess it’s time to dump the also ran and worship the cat. As it should be.
Love the Lynx. When I was a kid, and hadn’t yet put away childish things, my main motivation for going to heaven was the prospect of having big cats for pets. That, and an all pomegranate diet.
KP
Test post, please excuse. Trying to get my name back on my account.
Pomegranates… *Shudder*
How can Stephen Fry say that God is a sociopath? Clearly He divinely raises his Chosen cat from the dead, so that the sins of all the kitties are forgiven.
Not only does god hate Albritton’s cat but he must be sadistic? He let the car hit them and then revived one of them (celestial coin toss maybe)?
Oh, well, Harry it is then. I was going to send in a late suggestion for Bojangles, as it suits him, and I had a feeling it was going to be tough find a different name. So here’s to HRH, His Royal Hairiness. 🙂
I heard about that remarkable cat, Bart. Poor kitty. It must have been an awful experience for him. I hope he lives a long and happy life from now on.
Great pics! Love the nebula! That’s pretty awesome to be able to capture that fleeting light.
What a clever bit of whimsy by God! And quite worth the pain and hardship He caused the cat by forcing it to dig out of its own grave.
sub again…I seem to be suddenly having subbing issues…
I think that Lynx and cat were two lonely felids who needed companionship and affection. I’m glad the zoo is letting Darling stay.
I’ve noticed that Russian stray cats, at least the ones on a lot of these videos, look well fed and taken care of…do a lot of Russians feed strays?
Darling and the lynx; proving once again that cats are not social.
Wait…
Don’t be surprised if he ascends into heaven in about a month or so. If so there will be built many Cat-thererals throughout the land and the practice of being buried in cat-acombs will become fashionable again. From: Why Evolution Is True To: miklay@yahoo.com Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2015 8:21 AM Subject: [New post] Caturday felid trifecta: Matthew’s cat name, Bart the zombie cat, and lynx becomes best buds with house cat #yiv7474483902 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv7474483902 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv7474483902 a.yiv7474483902primaryactionlink:link, #yiv7474483902 a.yiv7474483902primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv7474483902 a.yiv7474483902primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv7474483902 a.yiv7474483902primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv7474483902 WordPress.com | whyevolutionistrue posted: “First, I reluctantly inform you that Matthew did not use any of the names suggested by readers for his new kitten. Instead, he went with the name they had tentatively chosen at the beginning—Harry. As he said, the source is obvious to anyone who has a tee” | |