A Florida man learned his dead cat has a few lives to spare when it mysteriously turned up alive after being buried, the owner told the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, Fox 13 reported.

Bart the cat originally died – or so his owner thought – when he was struck by a car and left in the road. Owner Ellis Huston said he was certain Bart was gone and buried his beloved pet.

But the cat clawed his way out of the ground and returned a few days later – with severe blows to the head, a broken jaw and a dead eye. He was found in a neighbor's front yard and rushed to a hospital.

Rescuers told Fox 13 they believe the cat lost consciousness after the car struck him, dug himself out of the ground when he came to and hid for a few days.

The cat is currently at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and will later undergo surgery for his wounds. He will likely lose his eye, the station reported.