Lavern: 1 Tornado: 0

Sometimes you just take the good when you can.  Grab a tissue and enjoy the story of a woman who thought she lost everything in the tornado, including her  beloved cat.

"We decided we were going back one more time," Cruse said.

She said she was standing at the site talking with her sister, Suzi Hoskins, when they heard meowing. Then more meowing.

"I thought it was the neighbor's cat," Cruse said. She hadn't seen her family's cat, Lavern, since the tornado. She said that after several attempts to find the 13-year-old cat, she didn't think there was much chance Lavern would be found.

She said she and her sister followed the meowing and started digging through the rubble. The meowing stopped.

"I said a little prayer that she would meow one more time," Cruse said. Then she heard another meow. She and her sister began digging just a little way from their original spot. After more rubble and plaster were removed, Lavern's head emerged. They dug a little more to free her.

Lavern is expected to make a full recovery.   

[UPDATE from Zandar:] We could sure use some more good news like this from Joplin, especially in the wake of bad news like this.