Pilot Chelsea Tugaw holds Mirage, a senior cat who survived a 380-foot fall in a soft-sided carrier … More
Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society
A senior cat who survived a nearly 400-foot plunge that killed her owners in Bryce Canyon National Park has a second chance at life thanks to the rescue pilot who flew her to safety.
Air Force veteran Chelsea Tugaw, a search and rescue helicopter pilot with the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Aero Bureau, first met the remarkable cat on April 30 during a mission to recover the bodies of a couple found by hikers beneath Inspiration Point. She and her team responded to a call from the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office.
“Due to the nature of the terrain, they needed our assistance with the recovery efforts,” she said. “As part of that, they wanted us to go collect what they saw was a backpack on the hillside. So we hoisted my rescue specialist in and he relayed to us at that time it was actually a cat and a cat carrier.”
Back on the chopper, he told the crew that the cat in the soft-sided carrier was alive – a welcome surprise for everyone on board.
“I can’t tell you how many missions we’ve been on, but it’s definitely the first one where we’ve flown a cat,” Tugaw said. “She seemed like maybe she was in shock. She was very quiet. She didn’t make any noise at all. So I figured she probably had some pretty extensive injuries from a fall like that.”
Miracle Cat’s Recovery
A veterinary team at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary X-rays Mirage after her rescue from Bryce Canyon … More
Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society
Once on the ground, the cat went to Utah’s Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab for veterinary care, where the staff named her Mirage because surviving the fall seemed unreal. The veterinary team discovered Mirage suffered broken ribs and teeth and required special care in Las Vegas for fluid around her heart.
Tugaw followed Mirage’s recovery with more than a passing interest. Soon after the rescue, she’d told Best Friends that she’d like to adopt Mirage if the family of the deceased couple approved — which they unequivocally did.
So on May 19, Tugaw drove for nearly six hours to reunite with Mirage and adopt her.
“That was the first time I’d seen her since the rescue, so it was really fun to see her personality come out,” she said. “She was really outgoing and cuddly and wanting to purr. Just kind of acting like a typical older cat where she was wanting to take a nap.”
Pilot Provides A New Family
Pilot Chelsea Tugaw cradles Mirage, aka Mira, at home in Ogden, Utah.
Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society
Now Mirage — nicknamed “Mira” — is adapting to her new home with Tugaw’s family, which includes her husband, their two cats and a German shepherd named Xerxes. While Mira remains a tad leery of the dog, the 12-year-old cat is getting along well with her new feline siblings, Max and Milo. She seems enamored with her forever family.
“Mira loves to cuddle. She’ll come and sit on our laps and purr all the time,” Tugaw said. “She’s very much a people cat. So it’s been good.”
For her part, Tugaw loves that Mira purrs and cuddles so much.
“It’s the cutest thing when I’ll be laying in bed and she’ll want to crawl under the sheets and just curl up next to me to sleep,” she said.
Mira loves cuddles and purrs often.
Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society
Tugaw hopes Mira’s story inspires people to be more open to adopting older pets. She noted that senior pets at animal shelters across the country are often “skipped over,” and wishes they’d be offered a second chance at a life outside of a shelter.
“I hope it inspires people to reconsider because they’re just the most lovable pets. And a lot of times you can find an elderly animal that’s already been trained,” she said. “I’m glad Mira was able to come home with me, and I hope that she gets to spend a nice, relaxing rest of her life in our home.”
