The bond we build with out pets are often profound and unforgettable. Losing a pet to death or other fates can be deeply saddening. Sue Zelitsky knows all this too well.
Sue absolutely adored her cat, Jimmy, an energetic outdoor cat who loved to roam the great outdoors before always returning home. Until one day the cat did not come back.
One autumn day in 2015, Sue’s husband let 13-year-old Jimmy out to play, just as they always did. They expected that Jimmy would return home later — just as he always did.
Jimmy was a well seasoned outdoor cat who loved visiting the neighbors and taking walks with the Zelitskys and their dog. The family never feared for Jimmy, knowing he was savvy and clever and would always find his way back.
But as darkness drew near that day, Jimmy was nowhere to be seen. They went out and called for him, but to no avail — he seemed to have simply disappeared. “He used to go in and out every day but always came back, except that one night,” Sue told The Dodo.
The devastated family launched a search for Jimmy, hanging posters of the missing cat around the neighborhood and searching for their beloved pet daily. Days went by, then weeks. Still, no sign of Jimmy. The family sadly began to feel they might never see him again.
Two and a half years later, something incredible happened. Sue was browsing through Facebook when she suddenly came across a post from The West Milford Animal Shelter about a cat needing adoption.
When she looked closer at the cat, her jaw dropped. It looked just like her Jimmy.
Sue rushed to respond to the ad, inquiring about the cat’s circumstances. Where had they found him? How old was he? Her heart was racing.
She communicated with the shelter and received news that made her even more hopeful and more certain that it was indeed Jimmy that they had.
“He was found approximately 10 miles from our home after the big March blizzard and brought in to the West Milford Animal Shelter,” Sue said. “After some sharing of pictures and other physical attributes I went to see him.”
Before long, Sue was on her way to the shelter, with some of Jimmy’s favorite possessions in hand.
Once there, it became obvious that her greatest hope was true.
“As soon as we opened the cage I asked him, ‘Jim, is that you bud?’ And he walked over and head-butted me and I just started crying,” Sue said.
Sue’s husband soon also arrived at the shelter and the cat was just as affectionate and loving towards him. It was clear that they had never forgotten Jimmy, and that Jimmy had never forgotten them!
Jimmy, now 15, is of course back with his loving family. When they brought him back home, even the family dog remembered him and welcomed him with open arms.
Of course once the shock of regaining their beloved cat after nearly 3 years of absence, the family simply couldn’t be happier to have him back in their lives.
What a stunning and heartwarming reunion! Share this family’s wonderful turn of fate with all your family and friends if you also believe in destiny!
