Through a stroke of luck, the Zelitsky family has been reunited with their beloved cat Jimmy, 2 1/2 years after he went missing!
In September 2014, Mr. Zelitsky let Jimmy outside, as was routine. But on this night, their kitty never returned.
“He would go to the front door like a dog when he had to go to the bathroom, but he would always come back and meow at the door to come in,” Susan Zelitsky said in a story by NorthJersey.com.
They were terrified that their tabby had jumped into the open window of a parked car and then been driven off as a stowaway. The next day, the worried family scoured the neighborhood and hung up “missing” posters, but to no avail; it seemed that Jimmy was gone.
But the Zelitsky’s still had faith. Whenever any of them were out and about, they’d call the kitty’s name in hopes that one day, he might come back.
Then, almost 2 1/2 years later, fate stepped in: Susan Zelitsky was on Facebook when she saw a picture posted by the West Milford Animal Shelter. Someone had shared it on a local lost pets page – and it looked just like Jimmy!
“One of my Facebook friends had shared a post from WMASS with a picture, and I looked at it and thought how much he looked like Jimmy,” Zelitsky told NorthJersey.com.
The next morning, Susan Zelitsky and friend Dayna Devine went to the shelter to see if the tabby was their long-lost cat. To make extra-sure, they brought along two of Jimmy’s favorite things: a pillowcase and a dog toy.
“When they opened the crate door, I said, ‘Jimmy is that you, bud?’ and he walked over and head-butted me and smooshed his nose into the dog’s toy,” Zelitsky said in the story.
“I immediately started to sob. He started to rub up against us, and when I was rubbing his belly he nipped me, which he always did. He put his head in Dayna’s hands and he started to purr loudly.”
“I was convinced it was my boy,” she added. “I called my husband and he came to the shelter. When he saw Bob, he did the same head-butt.”
Watch an interview with the family below:
It turned out that Jimmy had been taken in as a stray during a snowstorm. No one knows where he spent the rest of his time “away”!
Zelitsky’s husband and two daughters, along with two new cats, are all thrilled to have Jimmy home. Now, the senior kitty will be able to enjoy his golden years with the family he loves the most.
“If it wasn’t for the wonderful people at WMASS, we would have never had this happy reunion,” the grateful cat-mom told NorthJersey.com.
We’re so happy that this family has been reunited. This beautiful story is a purrfect reminder to never lose hope!