Cat reunites with family after surviving weeks trapped in sofa: ‘God knew we needed her’
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV/Gray News) - A Colorado family is thankful that their cat is back home after going missing in an unusual place for weeks.
Andy Hanson accepted a job at Fort Carson’s behavioral health clinic late last year. That meant a long move for the Washington state-based family.
Hanson’s wife Kristen, their daughters Hannah and Adalyn and their two cats made the move. But when the movers arrived, their cat named Sunny-Loo disappeared.
“Poor Sunny, she got scared, and in the past when she’s scared, she runs and hides,” Hanson said. “We bought a little carrier for her so she can come on the airplane with us and everything ... and then we didn’t know where she was.”
Kristen Hanson said the family walked all around the neighborhood looking for their beloved cat, but she wasn’t found.
The Hansons checked with the movers, who had their furniture stashed away in a storage unit. But after days of searching, the family was forced to leave Washington without their cat.
“It was hard on my heart, and I was really sad,” 12-year-old Hannah said.
Friends and family back in Washington State kept the search going after the Hansons moved, but as days became weeks, it wasn’t looking good.
But when the movers finally were able to deliver their furniture after a few delays, the girls sat down on their couch to hear a pleasant surprise.
“We heard a meow!” Hannah said.
Andy Hanson said he pulled out the sofa bed to see Sunny’s orange fur just through a small hole.
“I thought this is crazy! It’s been three weeks,” he said.
The family said Sunny was weak and emaciated, but alive.
“I was shocked and really in a bit of disbelief,” emergency veterinarian Dr. Erin Dixon said. “I kept trying to confirm everything, that it was three weeks, not three days.”
Sunny-Loo spent three days in an animal ICU with Dixon and regained her health remarkably fast.
“The Hanson family did everything they could to save the kitty and sending her home is an absolute triumph,” Dixon said. “She’s one brave cat, and it was an honor to be a part of her incredible journey.
How Sunny-Loo survived being trapped in furniture, packed away, driven across the country -- all without food and water -- remains a mystery.
But the Hansons think love has something to do with it.
“Not only do we love her, but we can sense that she loves us too. I feel that she fought to stay alive for us and that God knew we needed her as well,” Kristen Hanson said.
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