Mowgli, the tuxie, went missing from his home in Cornwall, UK for six days. His mama, Michele Rose, and the family dog, Daisy, went out looking for the cat together. But Mowgli remained missing for almost a week. Then, on the sixth day, the springer spaniel started acting funny, and Rose realized he wanted her to follow him.
Daisy was “going berserk,” following a scent to the scene of a mining shaft surrounded by barbed wire.
“It was resolute. There was no barking. Her nose was really close to the ground, and she was going at speed, just backward and forwards…relentlessly,” Rose told the BBC.
Daisy the springer spaniel with Mowgli the tuxie cat back at home. Images via Facebook/Calweton Veterinary Group/CornwallLive
Sure enough, when Rose and Daisy got to the area of the mineshaft, she could hear a cat meowing. At first, she wasn’t sure it was Mowgli, but after calling repeatedly, she was sure. Somehow, the cat had dropped nearly 100 feet down into the ground and was alive! She called her son Hamish, who was away at vet school, to give him the shocking news.
He knew the dog and cat had a special bond and if anyone could find the cat, it was the spaniel!
“Daisy and Mowgli are pretty good mates so she could probably tell he was down there,” Mr. Rose said.
A Team Organizes to Go Down the Mineshaft
Although tempted to go around the barbed wire, Rose decided to call for help. It was later in the day on October 25 when she contacted the RSPCA and the Cornwall Fire and Rescue. They had to get an expert to determine how to safely proceed into the dangerous mineshaft.
Firefighters use ropes to descend into the mineshaft with a basket
Unfortunately, there was an agonizing night of waiting. Would Mowgli survive the night?
“It was the most agonizing wait,” Rose told the BBC. An officer reassured her that the cat would survive the night in the mineshaft.
“The rescue officer was really reassuring. He said, ‘Cats are amazing. If any animal’s going to survive, it’ll be a cat…He’ll probably just hunker down for the night and go to sleep.'”
Meanwhile, back home, she sat anxiously with Daisy by the door. Finally, at first light, they headed back to the mineshaft. Arriving at the scene, she called and was relieved to hear Mowgli meow back.
A team of eight firefighters began efforts to save Mowgli with rope and a basket. And the first man to go down the mineshaft, named André, is a cat lover who has cats at home. When André descended and reached the kitty, Mowgli was “really pleased to be rescued” and went “straight into his arms and directly into the basket.”
Once safely on the ground, Mowgli’s rescued sibling, Baloo, came up to greet him. Then, they rushed Mowgli to the vet, and ameowzingly, he was “absolutely fine” after the ordeal.
“He was brought straight into us for a thorough check over. Remarkably, Mowgli was completely unscathed and was extremely happy to be back with his owner! What a lucky cat!! And what a clever dog Daisie is!” shared Calweton Veterinary Group.
Once back at home, Mowgli and Daisy were both treated with chicken, treats, and lots of cuddles.
Rose adopted the two tuxies in December 2022, a year after adopting Daisy as a puppy in June 2021.
“Daisy was already a year old when the kittens arrived, and they have all been inseparable ever since. She is quite matriarchal and puts up with them; they love her and she’s very protective of them,” Rose told the BBC.
You can hear the audio of the interview here.
Rose thanked the hero of the day, André, a pet shop owner who helped put a call out for the missing cat, animal rescue officers, crew, and the RSPCA. And most of all, she thanked Daisy, who saved his kitty sibling that day!
“Daisy is the dog that can do no wrong. She is the hero of the day for me,” said Rose. “Without Daisy doing that, [Mowgli] could still be down there, for sure. She was persistent in making me follow her.”
Image via Facebook/BBC Cornwall
“If Daisy wasn’t the favourite child already, she definitely is now,” said Mr. Rose.
