Sunny-Loo, the cat, is a survivor who managed to live inside a couch for three weeks without food or water.
The beloved orange tabby’s endurance ordeal began in late December when her family set out on a cross-country move, according to KKTV. Sunny-Loo disappeared from the Hanson family’s Washington home when the movers arrived to pack up for the family’s trip to Colorado, where Andy Hanson was starting a new job.
The Hanson family assumed that scaredy cat Sunny-Loo was hiding in their Washington house and would reappear when the movers left. But when the Hansons went to collect Sunny-Loo for their flight to Colorado, the pet was nowhere to be found.
“We bought a little carrier for her so she can come on the airplane with us and everything … and then we didn’t know where she was, and we thought, ‘Oh my gosh,'” Andy told KKTV about how he, his wife and their two young daughters reacted.
The Hansons spent days searching for the feline, enlisting other family members and neighbors to help, but the search party had no luck. Eventually, the family had to board a flight to Colorado and leave their Washington-based loved ones to continue the search for Sunny-Loo.
The cat’s disappearance was especially hard on 12-year-old Hannah Hanson, as Sunny Loo is her emotional support animal.
“She’s a big support for Hannah and her autism when she has anxiety. This is a cat that spends most nights on somebody’s pillow, usually Hannah’s pillow when she’s feeling sad, sick, or anxious. This kitty is there,” Andy says about Sunny-Loo.
After three weeks without a sign of Sunny-Loo, the Hansons started trying to accept that they might never see the furry family member again. Around the same time, the family’s belongings from their Washington home arrived in Colorado. According to KKTV, the Hansons moved to Colorado on Dec. 31, but hiccups with the movers led to their belongings arriving at the new house in late January.
“So the moving truck came, and they unloaded our stuff. … They brought in our Hide-a-Bed sofa, and we put it down and started to unwrap it,” Andy told KKTV, adding that after a few minutes of working on the tightly wrapped couch, the family heard a meow.
The little meow belonged to Sunny-Loo, who must’ve hidden deep inside the Hide-a-Bed sofa when the Hansons’ movers arrived and ended up stuck in the piece of furniture. Somehow, the feline survived inside the couch without food or water for three weeks.
“Three weeks and 1,050 miles of road. In fact, it’s even more than that because she went from Walla Walla to Seattle down to Eugene, Oregon, and back up to Seattle and then finally down here,’ Andy shared.
When Sunny-Loo finally arrived in Colorado, she was understandably weak and emaciated, so the Hansons rushed the cat to a veterinarian shortly after removing her from the couch.
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The feline spent three days in the veterinary ICU under the care of emergency veterinarian Dr. Erin Dixon, after which the cat’s vitals significantly improved.
“Medically, I don’t have an answer for how this cat survived that ordeal. It’s really remarkable. We don’t always get an explanation in cases like this, but I agree with the family. She is a miracle cat,” Dr. Dixon said of the pet.
Sunny-Loo is now back home with her grateful family, who are still processing the cat’s journey to Colorado.
“It was unbelievable. It was like a dream come true,” Hannah says.
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