Bart the cat hit by car, buried and then crawls from grave

In this Jan. 27, 2015 photo made available by the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, shows Lori Piper holding Bart, a severely injured cat. Bart was hit by a car, buried and seemingly crawled back to his owner five days later. Bart was treated for a broken jaw, a ruptured eye and facial lacerations. He should recover in six weeks. (AP Photo/Humane Society of Tampa Bay, Danyelle Ho)

TAMPA, Florida  — Bart the cat was hit by a car, buried and crawled back from the dead — literally.

Earlier this month, a car hit the 1 ½-year-old cat in Tampa, Florida. Bart’s owner was so distraught, he couldn’t stand the thought of burying him, so he asked neighbor to dig a shallow grave.

Five days later, on Jan. 21, a matted and injured Bart emerged, meowing for food.

“At first it blew me away,” said Dusty Albritton, the neighbor who buried Bart. “All I knew was this cat was dead and ‘Pet Sematary’ is real.’

Bart had a broken jaw, a ruptured eye and a torn-up face. He was dehydrated and hungry, but alive.

Owner Ellis Hutson didn’t know what to do.

“It was unbelievable,” he told The Tampa Bay Times (https://bit.ly/1y4JxZZ). “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

Hutson got in touch with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, which through the Save-A-Pet Medical Fund will help cover the costs of Bart’s care. On Tuesday, the cat underwent surgery to remove an eye, wire his jaw shut and insert a feeding tube, which cost more than $1,000.

The agency’s executive director, Sherry Silk, said Bart should recover in about six weeks and will be going home with Hutson.

“He’s purring, even with all these injuries,” Silk said. “I can’t even imagine how awful he must have felt. He’s just a really wonderful, patient, loving cat.”