- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Follow that story: Woman who lost home in Wye Fire reunited with beloved pet
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – August was a devastating month for Patsy Thorburn, but September has been looking up.
On Aug. 12, Thorburn lost her home in Clearlake Oaks when it burned in the Wye Fire, which along with the Walker Fire scorched a total of 7,934 acres, as Lake County News has reported.
Thorburn barely escaped with her life as the fire raced up the hill and devoured her home. She had been trying to back her car out of the garage when she said her home exploded in flames.
She had tried to find her two cats, Sylvester and Muffin, but was chased from her home before the cats came to her call.
In an August interview with Lake County News, Thorburn – who lost everything in the fire – said she was saddest about her cats and her family pictures, which couldn’t be replaced like all of her other possessions.
But Thorburn, who is herself an optimist in spite of everything, this month had a happy ending of sorts when she was reunited with one of her precious felines.
On Sept. 3, Thorburn’s eldest daughter, Cathy Wilson, went up to the property overlooking Clearlake Oaks where the home had been located. Wilson later reported to her mother that she saw Sylvester, a female tuxedo cat, but that the cat wouldn’t come to her.
The next day, Sept. 4, was Thorburn’s birthday. She wanted to get a pizza and go up with her partner, Hank, to the property and look for the cat.
“We just waited and walked and walked and called her,” Thorburn said.
It was getting dark, and she was about to give up, when Thorburn said she saw the cat, sitting on a rock.
Thorburn said the cat came up to her carefully on tender, burned feet. All of her white markings were black with soot and her whiskers were singed and curled up.
“She was just a mess,” said Thorburn.
Despite being on her own for 21 days, Sylvester appeared to have been eating; Thorburn and her family had been taking food to the home site. She believes the cat had been hiding in rocks near the home and that’s how she survived.
There still hasn’t been any sign of Thorburn’s other cat, Muffin.
Sylvester went home with Thorburn and her partner, and she also got a trip to the vet for a checkup, where some of her matted fur was shaved off. “The vet said she was in surprisingly good health,” said Thorburn.
“She’s a happy, healthy cat now,” said Thorburn.
Things are looking up for Sylvester in other ways. “She’s loving being a house cat because she was never a house cat before,” Thorburn said.
She added, “She’s just a little miracle kitty.”
Thorburn said she’s not decided if she will rebuild the distinctive home she built with husband, Max, in 1990.
“I’m just taking it one day at a time,” she said.
She is, however, quick to point out that something good can come out of even the worst situations.
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