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By Liz O'Connell
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A pilot who was recently on a search and rescue recovery mission in a Utah national park gave a recovered cat her happy ending after her owners tragically passed away.
In April, the cat's owners died following a nearly 400-foot fall from a viewing area at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. They were later identified as Matthew Nannen, 45, and Bailee Crane, 58.
Chelsea Tugaw, a search and recovery pilot, told Newsweek that the deputies originally thought they were recovering a backpack at the scene. They wanted it for the investigation, but to everyone's surprise, it was a cat carrier with a feline inside.
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The team hooked the carrier onto the harness and hoisted it up the helicopter. Tugaw said the cat was "subdued and quiet" and estimates the feline was alone for about 12 to 15 hours.
Once back at the command post, the cat was transferred to the sheriff's department before being brought to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary where she received treatment.
Judah Battista, chief sanctuary officer at Best Friends Animal Society, told Newsweek that the cat, who has since been named Mirage, received a physical exam, revealing two broken teeth and cracked ribs. He said she was in "remarkable condition" considering the fall she experienced.
"That ended up being the inspiration for her name, you had to look twice to see if it was real," he said.
The team restricted her activity, provided her with TLC and monitored her recovery. However, a week later, her health took a turn. Battista said she wasn't eating and that her breathing was labored. An X-ray showed fluid in her lungs, which the team believed to be trauma from the fall. They transferred her to a specialist in Las Vegas for further treatment.
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Tugaw said some of her crew members kept tabs on Mirage. They received updates on her care, the injuries she sustained from the fall and how Best Friends Animal Society would be reaching out to the extended family to check if they were interested, and able, to adopt Mirage.
Once Tugaw heard Mirage was with Best Friends Animal Society, she reached out and expressed her interest in adopting the senior cat. Heartbroken, the family of the deceased could not take in the cat, which gave Tugaw the green light to adopt her.
About a month after the incident, Tugaw welcomed Mirage into her home with her two other cats. Tugaw expected Mirage to keep to herself, given her estimated age of 12 years old and the trauma she endured. Instead, she found the opposite.
"She's doing great," Tugaw said. "She's very outgoing for [her] age. She likes being around people, likes to purr and be pet all the time."
Tugaw believes this rescue could serve as a reminder to those wanting to adopt. There are plenty of elderly pets waiting for their forever homes who need the love and care just as much as younger animals.
"Our hearts go out to the family members..." Battista said. "We're very grateful to be part of this miraculous story."
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