Cat missing for five weeks found underneath neighbor’s floorboards

By Millie Bowles and Pol Allingham via SWNS

A “miracle” cat missing for five weeks was found still alive beneath a neighbor’s floorboards.

Russian blue Arthur's overjoyed owners believe he narrowly survived by eating spiders, bugs and mites, and licking condensation from pipes.

Arthur lost half his body weight while trapped, and he was only discovered when the neighbors heard distressed mewing and pulled up the floorboards.

His owner Jo Rymill knocked on doors, stuck flyers to lamp posts, and posted on social media - never expecting she would find her missing pet just three doors down.

After five weeks of searching, the owner of a nearby holiday let posted a voice message on the neighborhood WhatsApp chat saying the tenants in her property heard a mewing beneath the floor.

She had recently renovated the home.

Within 12 minutes nearby residents in Ramsgate, Kent, descended on the property and ripped up the floorboards to rescue frail and dehydrated Arthur.

When the news came through, interior designer Rymill was waiting in line for popcorn at the cinema with her husband Ian.

She said their four-year-old kitty used up more than one of his nine lives after disappearing from their house on June 8.

The dirt-covered moggy was rushed to an emergency vet in Herne Bay and spent 24 hours on a drip, while the 55-year-old feared he wouldn’t make it through the night.

Grateful Arthur has now returned to live with Rymill as well as his feline sister Florence,.

Rymill said: “We got straight out of the cinema, jumped in the car and raced home.

“They started sending pictures and on the way home I was saying ‘OMG! It's him! It's him!'

“I thought after five weeks there's no way he would have survived that because, logically, how could he? The first thing I did was burst into tears.

“I came out and all the neighbors were standing there holding him and it was the most amazing feeling. I still can't believe he’s with us.”

Describing Arthur's hospital stint, she said: “At the start, we were really worried his kidneys would have gone.

“The first round of blood tests on Friday night wasn’t very good, but the next day they settled out.

“He didn't smell very good because he had been trapped so he just smelt like a ball of ammonia.

“When they are healthy their hair is just like silk, but his is still full of dust and he's not really well enough to properly clean himself yet.

“The back half of him had deteriorated muscle-wise, so he has lost pretty much all the strength in his back legs.

“When you stroke him you can feel all his tiny little ribs and his spine.

“It's more than a miracle – nobody can believe he survived for five weeks.

“I would say he has used up more than one of his nine lives.

“I certainly don't think he would have lasted much longer if they hadn’t found him.

“This is the best street to live in. It’s quite short and everyone knows each other. Almost everyone has a pet.

"Renovations were ongoing in the house Arthur disappeared in and decorators has removed the panels around the time he got lost.

“I think he must have got in there on the Thursday night or on the Friday and then the boards were put back down later.

“He must have been in there the whole time because if he was anywhere else and wasn’t trapped he would have come home.

“The message went out and everyone went ‘oh my God’ and descended.

“If we weren’t all so close, nobody would have known who to contact.

“The speed of getting him out is what saved him really.

She said Arthur's sister Florence was "distraught", adding: “She was walking around crying and looking for him all the time trying to find him.”

Arthur has been clearly traumatized by the accidental imprisonment, according to his owners.

However, within half an hour he was reportedly purring and meowing to his owner.

At first, Arthur was desperate to demolish as much food as he could in one go.

He now has to be fed a little and often, and though his condition is improving, the next step is building up strength and weight.

“He has the most resilient personality,” said Mrs Rymill.

The owner was grateful to social media groups who pitched in to help: Thanet Animal Lovers Chat, Animals Lost and Found in Kent, and Missing Cats and Strays in Thanet.

She added: “I had thousands of comments and messages. It was just - I cannot express how grateful I am.”

The animal lover reminded owners to make sure their pets’ microchips are up-to-date and to report them on the database if they disappear.