Cat returns to North Carolina family 8 days after floating away in Helene flooding: 'Used all his 9 lives'

One North Carolina family got the surprise of a lifetime after their cat miraculously returned home safely after floating away in Hurricane Helene flooding more than a week beforehand. 

The Collins family's cat, Blanco, returned home after floating away on a rooftop in Burnsville last month when Hurricane Helene brought fatal flooding and historic mudslides. 

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"Eight days later, we keep telling our kids, if you've seen the ‘Homeward Bound’ movie, it's just like that," Camille told Ainsley Earhardt during "FOX & Friends" on Tuesday. 

"This cat has had to have used all his nine lives because he came to us as a stray," she said. "I actually found him in our compost bin earlier this year, and we nursed him back to life…. He's the kind of cat that goes on hikes with you."

The Collins family told the story of their cat's safe return during 'Fox & Friends' as they continue to rebuild following the catastrophic Hurricane Helene.

Camille's mother-in-law, Nan, said she was filming the floodwaters and taking pictures of the horrific scene when she realized Blanco was in danger of floating away. 

"Blanco climbs up on that distribution line that you see, and he sees them try to climb the metal roof," she said. "And then ends up down in the river that turned out to be the ocean, and that's the last we saw him."

Hurricane Helene dumped trillions of gallons of water hundreds of miles inland, devastating communities nestled in mountains far from the threat of storm surge or sea level rise.

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Camille's husband David said they lost "just about everything" after the hurricane devastated the community shortly after it made landfall on the Florida coast. 

"The floodwaters came up way above even 500-year levels, at least ten feet, and everything we own is in wreckage behind us," David said. "The neighbors' houses are gone that have been there since the 1920s, and really, we lost just about everything we own."

North Carolina family celebrates after the cat returns home to them more than one week after floating away in Hurricane Helene's floodwaters.  (David Collins)

At least 224 people have died across six states due to Hurricane Helene, FOX Weather has confirmed. The death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue continues to comb through new areas.

Before Helene, federal forecasters told residents in western North Carolina that flooding from the hurricane could be "one of the most significant weather events to happen" since 1916. That year, a pair of hurricanes within a week killed at least 80 people, and the community of Altapass received more than 20 inches of rain (50.8 centimeters) in a 24-hour span.

Fox News' Lauryn Overhultz, Audrey Conklin and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bailee Hill is an associate editor with Fox News Digital. Story ideas can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.