The heart-wrenching tale of one man rescued from Florence and his cat named 'Survivor'

As the remnants of what was once Hurricane Florence continues spinning inland, dropping massive amounts of rain and causing damage and widespread flooding, stories of survival are beginning to emerge from the Carolina coast. Including that of a kitten who is literally a "Survivor."

It all began with this photo from Charlotte Observer reporter Andrew Carter on Friday evening, showing Robert Simmons, Jr. of New Bern, North Carolina being rescued with his kitten.

The kitten's name? "Survivor."

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Simmons told Carter he's only had the kitten for a few weeks and even the name might have been a spur of the moment thing. Writes Carter for the Observer:

Simmons said he’d had the cat for weeks, and yet when asked what the cat’s name was, Simmons gave an answer that almost sounded scripted, and too good to be true. Perhaps he’d improvised in the moment.

Simmons' story is gut-wrenching, not just for the details of the damage to his home and his neighborhood, but because of the realization that this story could be told thousands of times over from just this storm alone.

Check out the full story, which is definitely worth a read.