A cat was found in the rubble nine days after a tornado tore down earlier this month the three-story building in downtown Mayfield, Kentucky, where the cat was accompanying a man who works there.
Sonny "Hoot" Gibson was the one who heard Madix the cat meow faintly one day as he was standing on the debris of the tornado.
As soon as he heard the sound, Gibson
hoped
it was the yellow-eyed black cat standing next to him in the office of his rental business, which he hadn't heard from since the tornado hit.
Madix used to greet clients who came to the office.
Madix now lives at Gibson's house.Sonny "Hoot" Gibson via AP
The tornadoes that hit Kentucky in December devastated entire towns, leaving extensive damage, dozens dead and a hundred missing.
"
I don't know how anything could survive not only the tornado but the destruction that accompanied it
," Gibson said, surprised by the discovery of the animal that, after a few days, he had decided to stop looking.
"I thought I heard a meow, but I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, so I yelled his name and then he meowed again," Gibson told The Associated Press, who asked some of his employees for help with to get it out.
Madix
was in a hole
in the rubble.
He was hungry and thirsty, but unharmed, he said.
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"It was an incredible feeling to hold him in my arms. If cats really have nine lives, [Madix] probably used about eight in that nine-day period."
Madix now lives in the Gibson house.
To him, this is a hopeful story that has become popular in Mayfield.
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"It's a blessing that people listen to her and realize that great things can come out of dire situations," Gibson said.
"If this serves to lift anyone's spirits, then Madix
has served his purpose
on this planet."
All those reported missing in the deadly tornadoes that swept through Kentucky last week have already been located, according to authorities.
At least 76 lost their lives in the state.