Actor Matt Damon's Tale of Rescuing a Cat in Costa Rica

U.S. actor Matt Damon narrated on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert the story of how he rescued and adopted a cat in Costa Rica about 10 years ago. Damon shared the heartwarming story and talked about how he became attached to the animal while immersed in the Costa Rican jungle.

“He was living by himself in the jungle. He was the coolest cat I’ve ever seen, hunting and with two giant holes on his sides, you know, fighting for his life. We started feeding the cat, and we were there for a month, so we felt compelled to take the cat,” he pointed out.

The movie star mentioned that the family discussed that the cat was now relying on them, and if they left him there, it was likely that he could die.

The family then decided to take the cat back home to Los Angeles, as their home had a backyard which they thought was suitable for a pet.

“He moved into our house; I had a little yard in LA, and I thought ‘he’ll do great out there.’ He never went outside ever again,” he laughed.

Later, the cat was diagnosed with a brain tumor. As confirmed by Damon, the animal was treated and received radiation. In the process, the family moved to New York and watched as the cat began to lose weight and, as part of his illness, would only walk in circles.

Upon seeing the cat’s condition, Damon scheduled a consultation with a cat neurologist, who told the artist that he needed to have a conversation with his family. The expert discussed with Matt the that part of the responsibility of pet owners is to provide their pets with dignity, and that his cat no longer had a good quality of life.

The neurologist suggested giving the cat steroids. Damon proceeded to ask about the long-term effects of such medication, and the neurologist confirmed there were “massive long-term issues with it.”

“That was two and a half years ago. Now the cat is jacked. He’s like Arnold Schwarzenegger, he’s got muscles on muscles and looks great,” Matt laughed.