Once-famous cat uses up last of its 9 lives
After nine lives and 18 years well spent, Nippy “The Miracle Cat” — Butler's own “Ripley's Believe it or Not” legend — passed away recently. She leaves behind a story of hope.
“The main thing to learn from Nippy is that miracles really can happen,” said Bryan Vavro, the youngest son of Nippy's owner Karen Smaretski-Vavro, 129 Cornell Drive. “It just takes faith.”
Nippy's celebrity began in December 1999 amid the chaos of Christmas decorating.
While Smaretski-Vavro's husband, Phillip Vavro, swept Styrofoam particles and tinsel scraps beneath the tree, a 2½-inch ornament hook escaped everyone but Nippy's notice.
“It lodged in her esophagus when she swallowed it,” Smaretski-Vavro said.
A veterinarian explained there would be no way to remove the hook without fatal consequences and recommended that the family put Nippy down.
“She didn't seem to be in any pain, so I refused,” Smaretski-Vavro said. “If she is to die, it's up to the Lord.”
And Nippy didn't die then.
After three days, the family watched the “miracle cat” regain her strength, eating and drinking without incident.
After a month the hook had passed through Nippy's digestive system, keeping its original shape.
The family was astounded by Nippy's survival and so was Edward Meyer, vice president of exhibits and archives at Ripley Entertainment.
When the story found its way to his desk, Meyer chose to feature it in Ripley's Believe It or Not comics, books and exhibits from New York to India.
Meyer went on to explain that Nippy's tale remains on display in exhibits all over the world.
“It was a pretty amazing story,” Meyer said. “From Ripley's and myself, we offer our condolences to the family.”
However, Nippy's personality exceeded her stardom.“She wasn't your average cat,” Phillip Vavro said. “She was smart and an amazing therapist.”Nippy served as a source of community and comfort in the Vavros' neighborhood and within their own home.“When we were gone, she would take flowers from our house plants and lay them at the base of the stairs for us when we got back,” Smaretski-Vavro said.But Nippy never quite lost her curious spirit, and it never quite killed her.“When she was just a baby, she ran outside and climbed our old pine tree,” Smaretski-Vavro said.Nippy scaled more than 30 feet to reach the tree's peak, but she was too frightened to come back down. Friends and family from all over the neighborhood gathered beneath the mewing kitten.“We tried to call the fire department, but they said they didn't come for cats anymore,” Smaretski-Vavro said with a laugh. “After a while though she came right down like nothing had happened.”Despite the Vavros' best efforts, Nippy always seemed to wander into adventure — whether it was getting lost beneath the family home's floorboards or hiding in the upholstery of their big, pink couch.“We thought she was dead too many times,” Bryan Vavro said.A lifetime of near-death experiences finally reached an end in late October when Nippy passed away due to health complications.“In cat years, she was something like 90 years old,” Bryan Vavro said.Nippy is buried in her favorite spot, with her favorite blankets, in the Vavros' front yard.“There was this little spot that the sun would hit there,” Smaretski-Vavro said. “She always laid there.”
