Believe it or not, people the world over soon will know the miraculous survival story of Nippy, a 10-year-old house cat from Butler.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! intends to include Nippy's tale in several of its new museums, perhaps even those slated for India, Korea, London or Bahrain, said Edward Meyer, Ripley's vice president of exhibits.

"Nippy is interesting, and it's a good story," Mr. Meyer said.

The story began nearly a decade ago when Nippy, barely a year old, swallowed a 2 _1/2-inch-long Christmas ornament hook. It lodged in her esophagus, which was about as round as a woman's pinkie finger, and it poked through in two places.

Veterinarians took X-rays, did exploratory surgery and recommended the Vavro family, of Butler, put down their cat. Nippy would surely drown if she drank anything and choke if she ate, they said.

"They said there was no way she'd make it through the night," said Karen Smaretsky-Vavro.

Because Nippy didn't appear to be in any pain, Ms. Smaretsky-Vavro and her husband, Phillip, decided to take their beloved cat home.

"We decided we'd put it in the Lord's hands, and if she was going to die, she'd die there," she said.

Once home, Nippy headed straight for the Vavros' bed. Michael and Bryan Vavro, who were 10 and 9 at the time, poured holy water on their pet and prayed over her as long as they could before they had to go to bed.

"They knew she wasn't going to make it," their mother said.

The boys went to school the next day and when they came home, Nippy was still on the bed -- and still alive.

Even though it seemed hopeless, the family left water and a bit of tuna fish on the bed next to Nippy.

On the third day after swallowing the hook, Nippy started drinking and nibbling the food. Soon, she got up and started acting like herself.

Twenty days later, the hook passed through her intestinal tract without causing any damage.

"We call her the miracle cat," Ms. Smaretsky-Vavro said. "She's not had one health problem from that day on."

The family doesn't include as a problem the time Nippy swallowed and passed one of those long balloons that clowns twist into animal shapes -- it went in unnoticed and came out without trouble.

"We couldn't figure out how she even swallowed that," Ms. Smaretsky-Vavro said with a chuckle.

The Vavros first made contact with Ripley's after visiting a Ripley's museum in South Carolina not long after Nippy's recovery.

They mentioned Nippy's adventure to employees there, who urged them to send in the story as a formal submission.

Of the hundreds of submissions that cross Mr. Meyer's desk each week, Nippy's story stood out. She was first featured in a Ripley's cartoon in 2002.

Ripley's also included Nippy's story in last year's edition of "Ripley's Believe It or Not!: Remarkable Revealed."

"Any animal that swallows interesting things has a home at Ripley's," Mr. Meyer said.

That the family has the original hook and X-rays and even the balloon was perfect because those items make for great museum displays, he added.

For example, Nippy's X-rays likely will wind up in a Ripley's medical exhibit. The story also can be displayed in animal exhibits, he said.

Nippy has had her share of notoriety locally as well.

Not long after Nippy's initial recovery, the principal at Michael and Bryan's elementary school invited her to visit with the pupils, Ms. Smaretsky-Vavro said. The teachers at the school invited Nippy back last year, too, she added.

Despite her celebrity, Nippy will go on living a deliciously pampered life with the Vavros.

"She does everything with us. If we're eating, she's there. If we're watching TV, she's there," said Ms. Smaretsky-Vavro. "People cannot get over how sweet and lovable she is. We are just so blessed."