After 5 years missing, cat makes his way back home
As a 9-year-old little girl, Nguhi Muturi was given an adorable 2-week-old kitten. She named him Panther and they became best friends. They grew up together, and soon Muturi headed off to college in another state. But at 19, she found out Panther had run away and he was never found. That was five years ago, and now the unthinkable has happened: Panther came back.
“About a month after I went to college out of state, he went missing and we could not find him,” she tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “The fact that he left after almost 10 years and I couldn’t come home immediately to look for him crushed me.”
Muturi shared her incredible reunion on Twitter. Her post has been liked over 63,000 times and almost 13,000 people commented (at the time of this story).
hi I can’t believe this is real because I am still in shock but my first pet ever my cat panther just came home today after going missing FIVE YEARS AGO. FIVE. YEARS. AGO.
— nguhi (@ngvhi) March 16, 2018
Shortly after Panther went missing, he turned up at a shelter about 15 miles from where Muturi lives. There, just hours before being euthanized, he was rescued by a kind woman who took him in. After a time, the woman gave him to her parents.
In a crazy twist of fate, the woman’s parents turned out to be next-door neighbors of Muturi’s family. For an entire year, Panther, who is now named Charlie, lived indoors, and Muturi never crossed paths with him — until he escaped from his new home and made his way to her on Friday night.
this is surreal I’d just accepted he’d died and he’s sitting next to me purring like it’s nothing ?? my heart is so full!! pic.twitter.com/bnYxRwpKRp
— nguhi (@ngvhi) March 17, 2018
“I’m still sobbing. He came up to my dad outside started purring & rubbed up against him,” Muturi tweeted. “He took him inside & he went straight to his favorite spot. We declawed panther’s front claws & left his back. THIS CAT HAS NO FRONT CLAWS EITHER. Everything else is the same it’s really him.”
you know how you lose a person or pet and you wish you had one more day with them just to let them know how much you love them and how much they mean to you? I just had that day with Panther. I never would have guessed that 5 years later I’d get to kiss his little head again ?? pic.twitter.com/KQyEQ67QFy
— nguhi (@ngvhi) March 17, 2018
There were other traits that Muturi recognized and realized that Charlie was, in fact, Panther. “The white marks on him matched every photo we have and our memory. He knew the house and immediately went to the spots he loved. The way he purred and licked my eyelids to wake me up and keep petting him was the same,” she says. “I raised him from when he was a baby. I know him.”
Muturi now and her family have another adopted cat and, get this, had adopted her neighbor’s husky. So her new pup and Panther were living under the same roof for some time.
of course I said yes which is why last year I adopted my beautiful baby boy trotsky. ALL WHILE UNBEKNOWNST TO ME MY LONG LOST CAT PANTHER WAS LIVING INDOORS. I took their dog and they took my cat. pic.twitter.com/LkkAYKb5Hi
— nguhi (@ngvhi) March 17, 2018
The neighbors kindly offered to let Muturi take Panther back. However, her family decided that his home now was next door. Although she wishes he would be back with her, they said she can visit any time she wants.
they’ve given me permission to visit my beautiful boy whenever I’d like. How is it possible that they gave me this dog I adore and have fostered my first best friend.
— nguhi (@ngvhi) March 17, 2018
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