Duluth family's cat found in sewer after being missing for 2 months

DULUTH, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Duluth family is overjoyed after reuniting with their cat, Drifter, after he was found in a closed-off sewer nearly two months after the cat went missing. 

How Drifter went missing

Drifter went missing on July 18 in Duluth, after his owners, Clifton Nesseth and Ashley Comstock, returned home from a honeymoon. Drifter bolted out the door and wasn't seen for almost two months. 

According to his family, Drifter is a willful indoor cat who loves to escape outside, but would always come back right away. 

Nesseth, Comstock and their 12-year-old daughter, April Dressler, put up posters across their neighborhood and searched constantly for Drifter. The family was even planning a memorial service for the beloved cat to help with some closure. 

Construction was being done on the family's street, and the day Drifter went missing, the crew sealed up the sewers with a large metal plate and rocks. 

How Drifter was reunited with his family

One day, about two months after Drifter had gone missing, Nesseth says that April came home saying that some neighborhood kids had heard meowing from underground in the street outside. 

After some investigation, beneath the sealed sewer and drainage system, both Nesseth and Comstock heard frantic meowing. 

Immediately, the family grabbed a shovel and started digging through the dirt. Underneath the dirt was a heavy metal plate that was on top of a hole that was covered with landscaping fabric mat. 

With the metal plate propped up, and a hole cut in the fabric, the paws and head of a tabby cat popped up. 

Nesseth was able to pull the cat out of the hole, and low and behold, it was Drifter, with his collar and tags still on. 

Almost every day, April would go outside and call for Drifter, and Nesseth says that it is entirely possible Drifter heard those calls and found a place where his meows could be heard, and where he could ultimately be saved. 

It's guessed by Drifter's family that he got trapped in the sewer during construction and probably survived on mice or rats and sewer water. 

Nesseth told FOX 9 that Drifter's willfulness that led to his escape, is probably what kept the cat alive all this time. 

Drifter recovering with his family

Nesseth says Drifter was about 15 pounds when he went missing, and now weighs about 6.5 pounds. 

"We're just very happy that he is alive and back and remarkably healthy given the circumstances. He snuggled with April for a few hours the first night, otherwise, he's just constantly trying to eat everything he can," Nesseth said. 

Nesseth says the vet has Drifter on a strict diet to make sure he gets his nutrition up safely and make sure he doesn't get refeeding syndrome. 

Despite it all, Drifter is happily recovering at home and receiving some much deserved cuddles from his family.