Montecito family who lost home in mudslide finds missing cat in rubble

They lost their home and all of their possessions in the devastating Montecito mudslides, but Lindsey and Woody Thompson said they held out hope they would be reunited with their cat, Koshka.

The Thompsons didn't know if they were going to survive the mudslide earlier this month, and they said their goodbyes to each other, ABC Los Angeles reports. Because the road outside their house was wiped out, they had to be airlifted to safety, and once they were settled they immediately asked for help finding Koshka. "We knew that she was alive and we knew that she was smart and she would find a safe spot to be and she did," Woody Thompson said.

It still wasn't safe to access the house, but a fire team told Santa Barbara County Animal Services that they saw muddy paw prints. Starting Jan. 9, the property was checked by animal services every day, and on Monday, after officers entered the house through a window, they found Koshka in the rubble "with mud-caked fur ... thankful to see her rescuers." The Thompsons were overwhelmed when they got to hold Koshka again. "We needed this," Lindsey Thompson said. "Thank you. You're our heroes."

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