'Miracle’ Cat Bart Receives Transfusion From Another Feline After Car Accident

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay is caring for a cat it says is a living miracle. Bart, a 23-month-old feline, was buried by its owner after it appeared to have died in a car crash on Jan. 15. Five days later, the owner found Bart in a neighbor’s yard. He apparently had dug himself out of his grave, TV station WTSP reported.

Bart was transported to a local animal health center, where he was treated for a broken jaw, facial wounds and the removal of one eye. In a Facebook post on Wednesday evening, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay said Bart was anemic and needed a blood transfusion.

“Luckily one of our wonderful adoptable cats, Draco, was a perfect match and gave blood for the transfusion,” the post said. Bart reportedly will be heading home in five to seven days, according to a statement on the organization’s website.

The cat’s owner, Ellis Hutson, 52, said he found the cat two weeks ago in the middle of the road. His body was bloody and stiff, and Hutson thought he was dead.

"We were so close, I couldn’t stand to bury him," Hutson told ABC News. He said his friend, David, helped bury Bart. "I put him on the shoulder of the road and went and got David. He dug a hole and covered up the cat with dirt. I witnessed him bury the cat," he said.

Hutson’s neighbor Dusty Albritton started a GoFundMe page to help with Bart’s medical expenses. So far more than $5,000 has been raised.

“The only thing I can think of is that this is God’s miracle,” Albritton told ABC News. “And I thought, why five days later? If Bart was alive before, he would have come to our homes earlier. All I can think of is that God created animal life on the fifth day.”