They say cats have nine lives, but for Aggie, a majestic Maine Coon from California, that old adage became a breathtaking reality. For two agonizing months, the beloved feline was presumed lost forever—swallowed by the ferocious Palisades wildfire that reduced her family’s Los Angeles home to a smoldering ruin. Yet, against all odds, 82-year-old Katherine Kiefer clung to a fragile thread of hope.

That hope ignited into joy last weekend when the West Los Angeles Animal Shelter delivered the impossible news: Aggie was alive. Katherine’s daughter, Carolyn Kiefer, captured their tear-streaked reunion on Saturday in a TikTok video that exploded across the internet, racking up over 1 million likes in mere hours. In the footage, Katherine’s trembling hands cradle Aggie as the cat nestles into her arms, her frail purrs melting away months of grief. “I kept fearing I’d wake up and it’d all be a cruel dream,” Katherine confessed, her voice quaking.

The nightmare began in January when wildfire tore through their neighborhood. Katherine was at a medical appointment, powerless to save her home or her pet. Her children raced to evacuate Aggie, a notorious hider, but the smoke and chaos thwarted their search. “The one thing Mom begged was, ‘Did you get Aggie?’” Carolyn recalled, her words heavy with regret. Like so many pet owners caught in the Palisades fire’s merciless grip, the family fled with nothing but heartbreak.

Aggie, a 5-year-old gift from a friend during the lonely days of the COVID-19 pandemic, had become Katherine’s steadfast companion. Her miraculous survival—unearthed after two months of silence—has captivated social media, with fans clamoring for daily updates. The family launched a $30,000 GoFundMe to cover Aggie’s mounting vet bills, and by Tuesday afternoon, donations had surged past $21,000.

The cat’s condition was dire. “She was a skeleton draped in fur, starved to the brink,” Carolyn said. Aggie has endured multiple blood transfusions and is under a specialist’s care, fighting her way back from the edge. The family awaits her release from the hospital on Thursday, counting the hours until they’re whole again.

Katherine, her eyes alight with a survivor’s wisdom, has a message for fellow pet owners: “Never underestimate a cat’s will to live.”