When a cleanup team began clearing debris from a flood-ravaged home in Kerrville, Texas, they expected to find only wreckage.
What they didn’t expect was a miracle.
As they pried open an oven ruined by mud and water, something leapt out — a terrified, soot-covered cat.
“They opened the oven door, and the cat jumped out,” said Karen Guerriero, president and cofounder of Kerrville Pets Alive! “He was terrified, very lethargic, and hiding on the porch. They called us right away. I think they were completely shocked.”
In a summer of heartbreaking loss, the call felt like a spark of hope.
“At first, I was emotional,” Guerriero said. “Then I was elated. We lost so many animals because of the floods. This cat was alive — and needed help.”
No one knows exactly how the cat ended up inside the oven. Guerriero believes he belonged to a nearby home whose owner had to evacuate as floodwaters rose. Somehow, in the chaos, the cat crawled into the oven — and got trapped when the door closed.
“Maybe the rushing water pushed it open, then shut it again,” Guerriero said. “Everything here is just twisted and disoriented. I’m just so glad someone opened that oven door.”
Rescuers rushed to the scene and gently scooped up the weak cat, speeding him to Freeman-Fritts Vet Clinic & Shelter for emergency care.
Veterinarian Dr. Shelby Key still remembers the call that night.
“It was after hours, on the weekend,” she said. “The caller said, ‘We found a cat in an oven.’ I was thinking, How hot must it have been in there? How did he survive?”
When the volunteers arrived, Dr. Key was amazed.
“He was weak, scared, and dehydrated — but alive,” she said. “He’d lost so much weight, had burns on his legs, and there was residue on his skin and fur from the floodwater.”
Dr. Key gave him fluids and food, unsure if he’d eat. To her surprise, he gobbled it all down.
“Cats are incredible survivors,” she said.
The staff affectionately named him Easy Bake — a bit of dark humor to lighten a heavy week.
“This has been so hard,” Dr. Key said. “We’ve lost so much — people and animals. His name helps us laugh a little, and remember the good we’re still doing.”
Easy Bake is continuing to recover at the clinic while Guerriero searches for his owner. So far, no one has come forward.
“The flood swept everything away,” Guerriero said softly. “We’ve told people — if you can’t take your pet back right now, we’ll board them until you can.”
Both Kerrville Pets Alive! and Freeman-Fritts Vet Clinic are working tirelessly to help displaced animals reunite with their families — and Easy Bake’s survival has reignited their hope.
“There are still pets out there,” Guerriero said. “We just have to look and listen. Check under cars, in drawers, under furniture — even inside appliances. That cat wouldn’t have made it if someone hadn’t opened that oven door.”
And thanks to one curious cleanup crew and a few big-hearted rescuers, a cat who lost everything has found a second chance — and a community that refuses to give up on hope. ❤️🐾
To help animals in Texas impacted by the floods, you can make a donation to Kerrville Pets Alive! and the Freeman-Fritts Vet Clinic & Shelter.
