One day, Natalie Wright was scrolling through stories on Facebook and suddenly saw a cat that looked just like her long-missing cat Ozzy. The cat disappeared from her home in 2009, so she never thought she’d see him again. However, in a flash, she was sure it was him!
Rescuers from Hector’s House Cat Rescue Charity in Devon, UK, posted a picture of Ozzy on their social media page in late July.
“Does anyone recognize this unchipped cat?
Seemingly straying in the Roselands area of Paignton.
Needs veterinary treatment.”
Astonishingly, Wright just happened to spot her cat, responding in the comments. If this were her kitty, he would be 16 years old.
“I was just scrolling through and I saw the picture and thought, ‘oh my god that’s Ozzy,” Wright told the Daily Mail.
“His features looked the same and his coloring, I was sure it was him but also didn’t want to get my hopes up. I wondered whether he could even still be alive.”
Commenting on the Facebook post, she asked:
“Is it a boy” He looks like my old cat.”
Then, she shared a black and white picture of her Ozzy from so many years ago. From there, Wright contacted the rescuers to discuss meeting the shaggy grey Maine Coone.
Ozzy Found Eight Miles from Home
All those years ago, Ozzy vanished from Wright’s Newton Abbot, Devon home. After searching for months, Ozzy didn’t turn up.
“We thought Ozzy was gone forever and that he had either moved away with another family or died,” said Wright.
Images via Facebook, Hector’s House Residents
Flash forward to July 2021, and the rescuers at Hector’s House received a call from a holiday park just eight miles from Wright’s home. There, residents were feeding Ozzy, but someone noticed the cat seemed to be dribbling from his mouth. So, they contacted Hector’s House.
When the rescuers arrived, they confirmed Ozzy needed dental care and made the social media post.
‘It Was Like He Never Left’
After traveling to the park to see the cat, Wright, 46, a mother of two, was convinced it really was Ozzy. However, there was still a little doubt until he arrived home. Then, she knew for sure because the cat recognized the cat and dog he used to live with so long ago.
And he went straight to the place where he used to enjoy sleeping.
“It was like he never left,” Wright said.
Now, after missing out on all those years, she says it was time to spoil Ozzy.
“For him to be back home after all these years is brilliant. He’s getting spoiled rotten.”
‘This is Unbelievable Really’
For Hector House’s Zara Oldfield, seeing Ozzy reunited after 13 years was a new record. Previously, they had reunited a cat missing for seven years.
“This is unbelievable really,” Oldfield said.
Although it’s not 100% certain, all signs point to this cat being Ozzie.
“The cat has a specific coloring, and I can’t see why anyone would take on a 16-year-old cat in need of dental work if it wasn’t really theirs,” said Oldfield.
“I think the cat has ended up back where it came from, which is a great ending for everyone.”
Recently, we shared the story of Forbes, a cat reunited with his human family in Aberdeen after ten years. This time, a microchip made the reunion possible. Like Ozzy, rescuers found Forbes a few miles from home and in poor health after someone called the SSPCA.
A Reminder About Feeding Stray Cats Like Ozzy
On social media, Hector’s House shared a reminder about feeding stray cats. Then, they offered suggestions for what to do to locate the cat’s owner quickly.
“I know you’ve heard it before, but I’ll say it again:
Please do not feed cats that aren’t yours. Likewise, if you’re worried that a visiting cat may be a stray, firstly put a collar made from paper with your phone number on, on the cat. If you don’t hear back from an owner, put a photo of the cat on social media, asking if anyone recognizes it. Hopefully, someone local to you will offer to come and scan the cat for a microchip. If no luck there, take the cat to a vet to be scanned. If the cat isn’t microchipped, contact a local rescue. Only having done all of this, is it ok to give cat biscuits only. A cat may look well, but cats don’t tend to look ill until it’s almost too late,” they wrote.
For more, follow Hector’s House Residents on Facebook.
