But eight days later, as Jonathon was busy working on the property, he heard a “meow” behind him. Turning around, he found himself face-to-face with “a dirty, wet cat.” Collins said her son “wasn’t positive it was Blanco” at first but fed the stricken feline anyway and texted her to bring more cat food.

When Collins asked him whom the food was for, he sent her a picture of the cat. “I knew it was him,” she said. “I was so excited, with tears of joy and gratitude for Blanco surviving and finding his way back.”

Once reunited with his owners, Ricardo Blanco—so named because “he’s like a little movie actor, so full of life and playful,” Collins said—was taken to the Best Friends Animal Society’s free mobile vet clinic through a nearby shelter. He had spent a considerable amount of time in compromised water and needed a checkup.

Ricardo Blanco was brought to a clinic in Yancey County. The volunteer vets at the clinic looked him over and treated him for an infection in one eye and both ears. They also removed a few ticks, and the feline’s family was able to take him home later that day.

“He’s doing fine, playing and doing all the normal stuff,” Collins said.