Cat Swept Away On A Rooftop By Hurricane Helene Floods Just Showed Up Back Home Alive
Truly the most cat-like thing he could possibly have done, to be honest.
Pavel Sepi | Shutterstock Some of the most heartbreaking stories from natural disasters involve the loss of pets. Adding the grief of pet loss on top of a storm's devastation seems like a downright cruel twist of fate.
But for one North Carolina family affected by Hurricane Helene, their harrowing story of losing their cat came with an unexpected happy ending — in the most cat-like way possible.
A cat swept away by Hurricane Helene's floods found his way home more than a week later.
They say, of course, that cats have nine lives, and they are always doing the darndest things. As anyone who has an outdoor cat can tell you, they tend to disappear just long enough for you to be sure they're gone forever, only to just turn up one day out of nowhere as if nothing ever happened.
But Nan Collins' cat Ricardo Blanco took those feline tendencies to a whole new level. He just showed up out of nowhere eight full days after being swept away by the floods brought on by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, where Collins and her kids live in the town of Burnsville. It was the happiest possible ending to what is a truly harrowing story.
The cat escaped during the chaos of the rising floodwaters and was quickly washed away before his family could get to him.
Collins and her children spent September 27, 2024, like all too many in North Carolina. They watched as the Cane River began rising fast amid Hurricane Helene, and it quickly became clear they needed to get out.
As they were preparing their property, moving their chicken coop to higher ground, and packing to leave, things took a truly horrific turn: Their cat, Ricardo Blanco, got out and quickly disappeared.
By the time they found him on the roof of their camper, it was too late — the floodwaters had risen so high, so fast, they couldn't get to him. Then things took a turn — the camper began to float in the floodwaters and started to drift away, bashing into their neighbor's house.
Ricardo Blanco then jumped onto the roof of that house, but it too quickly dislodged from the ground and began floating away. The cat began climbing the roof but only made it about halfway up before the house was completely swept away. Collins and her kids could only watch in horror as Ricardo Blanco slipped into the waters and disappeared.
"My heart sank, and [I felt] immense sadness at how helpless we were to help him,” Nan told Southern Living.
She explained that her son Jonathon immediately dashed out along higher ground to try to get to Ricardo Blanco but was quickly halted by a power line that fell right in front of him. At that point, there was nothing left to do but "pray for Blanco’s safety and recovery," Collins said.
They were sure they'd never see their beloved pet again. And then, like cats do, he showed up back home alive and well eight days later.
The Collinses held out hope for days that Ricardo Blanco would make his way home, but as the week dragged on with no sign of him even after the floodwaters began to recede, they had to confront the fact that their beloved cat likely would never be seen again.
And then Ricardo Blanco did the most cat thing possible. As the Collinses were going through the wreckage of their home, Jonathon heard a soft meow in the distance. He immediately snapped a picture and sent it to his mom.
"I was so excited, tears of joy and gratitude for Blanco surviving and finding his way back home!" Nan told Southern Living, adding she was so happy.
In a video filmed by the nonprofit Best Friends Animal Society, Nan mused about what Ricardo Blanco may have faced. "Who knows how far he went down," she said, "because that river goes all the way to Erwin, Tennessee," some 35 miles away.
After dealing with the toxic waters and a week in the wild, Ricardo Blanco was definitely in need of some attention. The family rushed him to a mobile veterinary clinic set up by Best Friends Animal Society, where he was treated for ear and eye infections. Thankfully, he had no other issues and was able to go right back home that same day with his family.
Nan says he's now back to his old self, playing and living a normal cat's life. While she and her kids "wish Ricardo Blanco could tell his story of his time being swept down the river and finding his way back,” they're just so grateful to have their "little miracle cat" back home.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.