A woman lost her home in the Lahaina fires on Maui. Everything was gone. But the worst part was she didn’t know if her beloved cat Snow made it. A piece of her heart was missing, along with all her belongings from her entire lifetime. But the Maui Human Society shared some wonderful news about the long-missing cat.
“Tepatasi and Snow had been together for years. He was her baby, her best friend in the world and the thought of him perishing in the fire or wandering alone, possibly hurt, was heartbreaking,” they shared.
Immediately after the Lahaina fires, Tepatasi filed a lost pet report and waited, hoping for the best. But all that was left of her home was rubble. The weeks went by, and there was no news about Snow. The fires were in early August, and now it was October.
How Did Snow Survive the Lahaina Fires?
As anyone would, she started losing all hope. But miraculously, the rescuers found the friendly cat hiding in the home’s ruins. Nobody knows how the “fire cat” survived.
“A piece of Tepatasi’s heart was missing, and she thought it was gone forever. What she didn’t know was that our team of dedicated trappers was working every night to rescue lost pets in the burn zone. And that last week, they’d discovered a scared cat, white with grey splotches, hiding in the rubble near the remnants of Tepatasi’s house. It didn’t take long to catch him – the poor guy was worn out, dusty and happy to be back among friendly humans,” shared the Maui Humane Society.
Images via Facebook/Maui Humane Society
After surviving the fires, the cat managed to find food and water and took shelter. Then, he waited for his family to come back. But everyone was gone, and the rescuers couldn’t get into the burn zone until authorities cleared them to go in.
In the coming days, the rescuers hope there will be many more reunions to share. You can see the pure joy on their faces when they returned with Snow, the friendly cat.
A Joyful Reunion for Snow and Tepatasi
Tepatasi cried when the rescuers called her with the news. Then, there was a tearful reunion when her beloved kitty was in her arms at last. Their story is helping heal hearts for so many others who have endured so much anguish after the Lahaina fires.
Two Cats are Home Thanks to Rescuers
The morning after the reunion, Tepatasi shared more amazing news. Snow was one of two cats rescued and reunited with their Ohana, or family.
“I am so very thankful for your team for bringing back our Snow, and your team also found another cat of ours,” Tepatasi wrote. “Two of our cats were rescued and [are] with us. Her name is Kolohe, she was a feral cat we found in our car engine as a little kitten. Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much) for our Snow and Kolohe and bringing them back to their Ohana. Most of all, thank you for all the hard work and love you provide for all the animals. Aloha, Tepatas Sparks and my Ohana.”
For more, you can follow the Maui Humane Society on Facebook and Instagram. Find out more on their website.
