Man bravely weathers Hurricane Ian floodwaters to save cat

The cat is feline safe.

Mike Ross, 29, a man of Bonita Springs, Florida, took heroism to a new level after he bravely walked through the rising Hurricane Ian floodwaters to rescue a cat that looked frightened.

“The storm surge had rushed up quite a bit at that point,” Ross told The Washington Post of the moment he took it upon himself to rescue an ginger and white cat.

The cat appeared to seek refuge from the flood while perched atop a mounted air conditioning unit.

Ross, who told the outlet that he grew up in the Sunshine State and has seen tumultuous weather, said that Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 storm, is “absolutely terrible.”

His mom, Marybeth Ross, captured the rescue on camera. It happened right before the storm made landfall, with maximum sustained winds close to 150 mph.

Megan Scavo, Ross’ girlfriend, later took to her Twitter to share the video of him walking through the cloudy knee-high water to gently save the scared animal and bring it inside to safety.

Sign upto our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

“My boyfriend saving a cat from flood waters near Bonita Beach,” Scavo captioned the video.

Once people on the platform saw the clip, they couldn’t help but applaud Ross’ compassion for the distressed pet amid the chaotic weather.

One person wrote: “How can you not applaud this guy (even though it’s a pretty scary move…). Bless him.”

“This is humanity at its best. Think if we did that with fellow humans who just need a break from the storm. Or a rescue. Just a sign that they mean something. We can do better,” another added.

A third wrote: “This is honestly one of the best things I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Your boyfriend didn’t just save that cat, Megan. I think he saved me, too..”

Someone else added: “This boyfriend is a keeper. Continuing to pray for those impacted by Hurricane Ian!”

Ross also told the Post that that cat is staying with his family, and they plan to keep it if they can’t reach the owner.

Elsewhere, Scavo shared an update to Twitter, noting that they are calling the sweet kitty Ian. She also attached a link to a GoFundMe page to help raise money to restore their home and others’ houses affected by the storm's strong winds and flooding.

Half of the proceeds raised are going to the Humane Society Naples in honour of Ian the cat to help other pets impacted by the devastating storm.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.