Lost Cat Returns Home After Being Gone 13 Years

Paula Harper-Adams lost her cat Shelby 13 years ago. She had given up the cat as gone forever, but Shelby had apparently grown tired of wandering about the world and returned home last week. Probably because home is where cat food tastes the best.

When Shelby showed up on Harper-Adams’s doorstep earlier this month, the mother of four (all born after Shelby had taken off for a pack of catnip) was stunned. She didn’t recognize the cat at first because Shelby was in such a sorry state. But when Harper-Adams took Shelby to the vet, she realized that the cat she thought was a stray was really her own.

Harper-Adams dug up some photos of her missing feline friend and the vet confirmed that the cat in the pictures and the cat that had suddenly appeared at Harper-Adams’s home were one and the same (or possibly an evil twin?), thanks to some distinct markings. Now, Shelby has returned to the fold and the entire family is happy to have her back. They just wish they’d known where she’s been all these years.

This is one of the only times I wish animals could talk because I bet Shelby has a story that could be a three night Oprah special. Especially if there’s an evil twin involved.