
There must be quite a lot of reunions with cats because cats can go missing or go walkabout if left to roam; or when disaster strikes and cat and human become separated. There are many examples of this. The recent Oklahoma City tornado is a good example and the nuclear reactor disaster in Japan caused by the tsunami is another good example. In Japan, a large number of companion animals were abandoned to fend for themselves amongst the deserted streets when people vacated their home en masse under government orders. Some people then returned against the advice of the government to find their animal companions.
Failed Reunions
If there are many reunions, there must be some failed reunions too. I am referring to people who have lost their cat, perhaps temporarily, and then failed to find him, which means a permanent loss.
This happened to my late mother. A ginger tabby that she lived with preferred the wild and went to it and never returned until 12 years later when he came back out of the cold to die. He was full of arthritis because of the cold that he had endured. She let him in but he was wild and I don’t think she recognised him. She had him euthanised. It was a bad and careless decision. His presence had become inconvenient to her and her other cats. This is a very sad scenario, in part, because for a long time she went into the area where he might have disappeared and called for him without success.
June Simpson and Sammi
This is a nice reunion story relating to the recent tornado in the USA. Her home in Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City, was reduced to rubble and the woman escaped unharmed it seems as did her husband. She returned to find her cat. Judging by the photographs – which I can’t publish here because they are copyright protected – June was overcome with emotion when reunited with Sammi and that is exactly the way it would have been with me, under the same circumstances.
Alabama Tornado
(See picture heading page). This is not the recent tornado in Oklahoma City but similar, extreme weather circumstances. It is a tearjerker. On discovering and cuddling her cat, the woman says something that is very telling:
“I have everything in the world now”
Tender Boy Reunited with Cat with Noisy Intrusive Parents
This is an interesting one. The parents recover a long lost family cat that their son loved because a neighbour found the cat. Listen to the parents and look at the boy. Who is better?
This is a still image from the video in case the video disappears:

This is the video:
What do these reunions tell us?
Well, for every tearful reunion there are probably dozens of failures. That sounds harsh but you might describe it as “real”.
That said, there is a ton of love for a family cat in the right home and it is shown in these reunions. The kids are more genuine.
As one of my girlfriends said “Scarlett (adopted us 10/040)knows where she lives, is loved & well fed” after she was missing over 12 hrs. Indeed they do & also are able to tell if you’re a cat lover or not, they prefer to pick their owners not vice versa.
keenpetite
SE Arizona (USA)
I hope that figure it not indicative of what is across the board i.e. nationwide.