Never Give Up Hope: Aggie the Cat Returns Home From The Ashes of the Palisades Fire

Aggie the cat was reunited with her owner, Katherine Kiefer, on March 8, 2025, after surviving for two months in the rubble following the Palisades Fire, which began in January 2025 and destroyed her owner's home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.

The reunion occurred at VCA Chatoak Animal Hospital. Aggie's discovery was reported earlier this week, with details emerging around March 11–12, 2025, across various news outlets like AP News, FOX 11 Los Angeles, and NBC Los Angeles. She was found emaciated and with burns but alive, close to her former home on Bestor Boulevard, and her story has gained attention for its heartwarming outcome.

The Palisades Fire itself was fully contained by January 31, 2025, according to CAL FIRE updates, and no new fires have been reported in the Palisades since.

Aggie is a 10-year-old tabby cat owned by Katherine Kiefer. She went missing when the Palisades Fire broke out on January 7, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.

Katherine Kiefer, 82, reunited with her cat, Aggie

Katherine Kiefer, 82, reunited with her cat, Aggie

The fire, fueled by dry conditions and strong winds, rapidly spread through the area, destroying Kiefer's home on Bestor Boulevard among others. Kiefer was forced to evacuate without Aggie, leaving her behind as the flames closed in. The fire ultimately burned 150 acres and destroyed eight structures before being fully contained on January 31, 2025, per CAL FIRE reports.

For two months, Aggie was presumed lost or dead. Kiefer returned periodically to search the ashes of her property, leaving food and water in hopes her cat had survived.

On March 8, 2025, a breakthrough came: a neighbor spotted Aggie alive in the rubble, roughly 50 yards from where the house once stood. Kiefer rushed to the site and found Aggie in a dire state-emaciated, with singed fur and burns on her paws, weighing just 6 pounds compared to her usual 12. Her once-vibrant tabby coat was matted and dulled by soot and starvation.

Kiefer immediately took Aggie to VCA Chatoak Animal Hospital in Granada Hills. Veterinary staff, led by Dr. Jennifer Mathis, confirmed Aggie's identity via her microchip and began treatment. She had survived 61 days in the wild, likely scavenging what little she could amid the devastation. The hospital team hydrated her, treated her burns, and started her on a recovery diet.