'Dead' Kitty Claws Out of His Grave

They're calling him "Bart the Zombie Cat." Like the opening of a horror flick, this battered tomcat literally clawed out of his grave in Tampa, Fla. after he had been laid to rest. Thankfully, he didn't immediately set out to spread an apocalyptic disease or chow on brains like your typical zombie. Instead, he was just looking for some water.

Bart's remarkable story was first reported by local stations KTVU and WTVT Fox13 on Tuesday after Dusty Albritton, a neighbor of Bart's grieving owners, found the 3-year-old cat at her back door. She was left stunned, because Bart had been struck by a car five days earlier and was pronounced dead by veterinarians.

"I took him to the owner and he opened the door and he was in complete shock because he knew this cat was dead," Albritton told WTVT. "There's no logical explanation and we just say it's God's miracle."

Of course, Bart didn't actually rise from the dead. Although his heart had stopped, the cat somehow miraculously revived, showing that perhaps his kind really do have nine lives.

The cat was quickly taken to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay full-service clinic, where he was treated for head trauma and a broken jaw. A severely damaged eye had to be removed, but all surgeries were successful. (Scroll to read on...)

Bart is spending his recovery time between the Tampa Bay Veterinary Emergency Service and the Humane Society clinic, and is expected to finally return to the home he was just not prepared to leave next week.

Now looking a lot less like a zombie, many have started calling him "Bart the Miracle Cat" instead - a fitting name for a stunning story.

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