This is the happy ending story of a Dayton, Ohio cat who went missing after the Memorial Day tornadoes. He was recently reunited with his family.
Henry (a ginger beauty) and Slim Shade (a blue Persian) belong to Trolley Shop owners Robin and Chris Sassenberg. The couple moved into a four-bedroom home on Hillsdale Avenue home 32 years ago and own the oldest tavern in the area.
When the most powerful of the 15 monster tornadoes that devastated the Dayton area on May 27 arrived at the home it did a lot of damage. With winds up to 170 mph, the 19-mile-long tornado stayed on the ground for 30 minutes.
The twister was measured to be an EF-3 or EF-4 as it traveled from Brookville to Trotwood, to Harrison Twp. to Dayton and then on to Riverside.
Mini and Cooper, their two dogs, fled to the basement of the home along with two of their cats, Henry and Alice. Slim Shade was outside and couldn’t be found in time. The family barely made it in time and would most likely have been injured or killed.
Damage to the home came on the tail of Robin’s youngest son, Fletcher Austin, 34, who died while waiting for a liver transplant in St. Louis. The family received a lot of community support to get them through this trying period of their lives. Between the death of their son and the damage to their home, Robin and Chris have had a rough month.
So when Henry darted outside in the moments following the tornado, it was one more thing the couple had to worry about. Slim Shady hasn’t been found but Henry was spotted by a street sweeper in a window of a damaged home nearby and contacted the family.
Henry has been reunited with his family. The couple hopes Slim Shady will be found soon as well. Click here for a heartwarming story of survival and how the community has rallied around the family. It’s a MUST READ!
The Trolley Stop was established in the mid-1880s as the Liquor Room then renamed the Trolley Stop between 1976 and 1978. Hopefully, they’ll post some photos of Henry on their community Facebook page. Robin and Chris are fortunate to have him back and to live in such a caring community.
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