Cats have many lives. It is a well-known saying that surely has some truth, especially considering the incredible story that Matt Damon told during his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In this interview he explained what happened to a cat he adopted ten years ago during a month-long stay in Costa Rica.
The actor described the feline as the “toughest jungle cat” he had ever met, detailing how the animal lived alone in the jungle, hunted to survive and fought constantly, as evidenced by the two large wounds on its side.
Determined not to leave this brave survivor behind, the Damon family fed the cat during their stay and ultimately made the decision to take him with them to Los Angeles. “We decided we had to take the cat, he was going to die, now it was up to us. He moved into our house, we have this little backyard, I thought yes, he would be great there,” Damon said, describing a panorama of hope for the cat. However, contrary to expectations, the cat opted for a more sedentary lifestyle: “he never went outside again.”
However, the kitten’s life changed completely when he developed a brain tumor, at which point Damon decided to fight for the life of his feline companion. “I’m not going to let a brain tumor get this cat out of here,” he guaranteed.
The family sought treatment and went to a feline neurologist in New York. What at first seemed like a sad ending turned into a more hopeful episode when Dr. Chad suggested a radical solution: “Chad says, ‘I could pump him full of steroids. And I say, ‘What do you mean?’ And he says, ‘I mean that could give you a lot of steroids.
Despite the potential “huge long-term problems” associated with the treatment, the family forged ahead, leading to a miraculous recovery. “That was two and a half years ago,” Damon concluded, revealing that the cat not only survived, but grew into a muscular feline, joking about how he now looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
