Bart after his surgery.

Humane Society says it does not intend to return Bart to his owners

A cat who is said to have been hit by a car, confirmed dead, and buried by his owners, has turned up alive. Bart, who has been dubbed "miracle cat" in the national press, is receiving care at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.

Five days after Bart was buried by his owners, he reportedly showed up at a neighbour's house, weak and dehydrated, but alive.

The one-and-a-half year old cat had a broken jaw, open facial wounds and a seriously damaged eye. His owner could not afford the veterinary fees and took him to the Humane Society Tampa Bay, where he is receiving care.

Vets had to remove his eye and he was suffering from anaemia last week. He has since had a blood transfusion from shelter cat Draco and vets expect him to make a full recovery.

Last week, the Humane Society said Bart would be able to go home once he was able to eat on his own, but has since revealed it no longer intends to return him to the family.

In a statement on its blog, the charity said: "Recently we have learned new information about Bart’s home environment and the circumstances leading up to his burial. Therefore, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay does not intend to return Bart to the Hutson family.

"We are prepared to fight for the best interests of this cat. We hope the Hutson family will do the right thing and surrender Bart to our care so that we can find an appropriate environment for him to live out his life."

Bart's medical care is being funded by the charity's Save-A-Pet Medical Fund. The Humane Society has said it is not involved in a GoFundMe account to raise money for Bart's care and has received no funds from this account to date.

For updates on Bart, see http://humanesocietytampa.org/miracle-cat-comes-back-from-the-grave/

Image courtesy of Humane Society Tampa Bay