The Zielinski family from New Jersey had a beloved pet – a kitten named Jimmy. Everyone loved him dearly, and he adored his owners in return.
In general, he was the most ordinary of purrs, liked to walk in the street near the house, never going more than two or three lots from neighbors, and stopped to visit the neighbors, whom he knew and nurtured.
He did, however, have a fun and rather an unusual habit: Jimmy liked to climb into the open windows of parked cars and sleep there. It was this habit that let the cat loose on September 13, 2014. It was hot and the cat climbed into one of the cars parked on the street near Zielicki’s house and lay down to sleep.
When the car owner arrived, he did not notice the fluffy guest in the back seat and drove off with him. It is difficult to say how the cat’s life continued. Bob and Susan, the owners, looked for Jimmy.
They asked the neighbors, who seemed to have seen the cat get into the car, but so what… who owned this car and who owned it – no one knew. For a while, the Zelitzkis hoped that the cat would return, but each week, each month, their hopes dwindled, until they lost them completely.
But two and a half years after this sad event, the story suddenly had a sequel. Susan was scrolling through her social media feed and noticed an ad for a kitten that looked suspiciously like Jimmy. By calling the given number, she got the information she needed.
The cat had only recently been rescued from the streets by animal rescuers and it happened about 15km from Zelicki’s home. The woman and her husband drove to the shelter with Jimmy’s toys, hoping he would recognize them and then it would be clear the cat was indeed his.
But toys were not necessary; it was clear without them. As soon as the shelter workers handed the cat over to her former owners, she started shoving them in the face. There was no doubt that the cat remembered its old life. When the cat was brought home, the dog, his old friend, happily welcomed his fluffy partner.
Here is another story that ended well. We hope that life on the streets has had no effect on Jimmy’s health and that he is back to what he was – a sweet and kind pet.
