If your missing pet comes home after weeks

We had really given up hope, because three weeks is a long time. We had no idea where our dear little friend could be hanging out.

Pets are quite something special. To outsiders, they are just ‘ordinary animals’. I feel the same about others. Oh wow, nice, that cat of yours. You have a lovely dog. But your OWN kitten, dog, or guinea pig: that one is special. That is your buddy. They are always there for you when you come home after a long day. When you are sad. When you are happy. When you just want to be yourself.

Our cat suddenly ran away. Lost. Normally she comes bouncing in after one call, but now she was nowhere to be found. We searched everywhere. But the longer she was gone, the less hope we had left. Maybe she was hit by a car. Maybe she was getting food somewhere and was being well taken care of and had a new home. Maybe she was stuck somewhere. Her sister was left alone and suddenly our little family was no longer complete. And with all those pregnancy hormones two babies raging through my body, I couldn't really handle that. Crying. Sadness. And then suddenly there was that nice lady.

She called us that there was a cat eating from her trash can. A starving cat. They gave her kibble and she attacked it. Then she started looking online: who is missing such a kitten? She called us and my parents picked her up. No doubt: this is her! Incredible. She is back. Very thin and very tired. The poor animal has been wandering the streets for three weeks. Living off garbage. So lost. And now she is finally home, with us, safe on the couch. Exhausted and thin. But healthy and completely our own sweetheart again. And now I am so happy, I can't explain it in words. Because for me, it's not ‘just a cat’ or ‘just an animal’, she is my little friend.