The cat came back. They thought he was a goner but the cat came back.

Overnight on Sept. 15, Milkshake, a four-year-old domestic short-haired cat, managed to escape his Aurora home by breaking a screen in a window holding a portable air conditioner.

By the time his owners, Jonathon Cole and Stephanie Nikolich, got him back on Nov. 23, he was in such rough shape they feel it’s a “miracle” he survived.

It’s unclear what motivated Milkshake to bust loose since he was an indoor cat with no prior inkling to go outside but Cole suspects a squirrel or other animal caught his attention.

He and Nikovich were distraught when they realized the next morning their cat was missing.

“We don’t have children so he’s like our kid,” Cole said.

Not only is Milkshake a beloved pet but he and his girlfriend consider it an emotional support animal.

The cat roused Nikolich, who has type 1 diabetes, when her blood sugar fell dangerously low and provides emotional support to both his owners, who live on disability benefits.

Cole and Nikolich spent weeks searching for Milkshake, distributing about 1,000 posters in their neighbourhood in the area of Yonge Street and Murray Drive.

Eventually, they became convinced he had been killed by coyotes and even set up a small memorial in his honour.

But on Nov. 23, they were awoken by a woman who said she had found Milkshake.

She said she’d identified the cat through identification tags on a harness the cat wore but warned they had better prepare themselves for Milkshake’s disturbing condition.

The harness had created a “huge hole” around one of the cat’s legs.

“We were both bawling our eyes out at first. Then I realized how sick he was with this wound in his side,” said Cole, adding 16-pound Milkshake had lost more than 10 pounds while he was missing.

The couple rushed Milkshake to their vet, Dr. Jory Bocknek, at Abbotsford Animal Hospital.

“I was shocked he was still alive. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cat in that kind of condition and it not be dead,” Bocknek said.

“The wound was what I would consider truly horrific. It was like the harness was trying to cut his leg off for the last few months.”

After several days of treatment, including intravenous containing fluids and antibiotics, Milkshake went home on Nov. 27.

“Christmas is coming up. We couldn’t ask for a better gift,” Cole said. “We want to give everybody who has a lost pet hope.”

Bocknek is impressed with Milkshake’s recovery so far.

“I just saw him again (on Wednesday) and he’s almost doubled his weight, the wound is healing nicely and he looks fantastic. They (Cole and Nikolich) have done a fantastic job with him,” he said.

“Cats are tough. I think he went through at least 12 lives. Any other species would not have made it but this cat wants to live and these owners are going the distance and I think he’s going to do just fine. He almost doubled his weight in two weeks. He went from a skeleton with skin to having some flesh on his bones.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Milkshake requires ongoing veterinary care, Bocknek said.

To date, the vet bills have come to more than $3,400.

Cole’s parents donated $1,000 and a Go Fund Me page has raised more than $2,400.

Cole and Nikovich are hoping others will donate to Milkshake’s ongoing care. They say they will donate any funds not needed for the cat’s care to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.