The remarkable story of a pet owner and her beloved cat shows that even after years it is never too late to meet again.
According to The Salem News, Margaret Kudzma’s cat Mini Max went missing six years ago after jumping out of a window in her third-floor apartment in Peabody, Massachusetts. She searched fiercely for the gray-and-white cat and took all typical measures – putting up posters, joining rescue organizations, and announcing online – as well as some less common tactics. Kudzma has reportedly set up night vision cameras, hired an animal detective, and consulted with an animal psychic. None of this led her back to Mini Max, however.
Although cats are often known for their sense of direction, they can still get lost. Like Dr. Sarah Wooten of PetMD explains, “Cats have a haunted instinct, which means they can sense direction with something beyond the five common senses of taste, smell, sight, touch and hearing” – although the specifics of this are not yet known by scientists be fully understood. However, indoor-only cats are more likely to have difficulty finding their way home because “they may have limited targeting ability and can become disoriented and frightened if they get lost outdoors.”
Fortunately for Kudzma, she had Mini Max microchipped – a small procedure that eventually brought the two back together.
A cat that disappeared in Massachusetts six years ago was finally reunited with its owner.
JAM STA ROSA / AFP / Getty Images
In the years following Mini Max’s disappearance, Kudzma spent her time helping other cats and starting her own rescue organization, The Salem News reported. But all the while she never forgot her lost pet.
Everything changed when Kudzma received a call from Dr. Samantha Simonelli, a veterinarian in nearby Wakefield, received. Simonelli had scanned the Mini Max’s microchip, which identified Kudzma as the owner.
“All I heard was ‘gray and white’ and I had to hang up,” she told the news agency.
From there, Kudzma was able to reconstruct the missing parts of the cat’s journey. After making it about 11 miles down the coast from Peabody to Revere, Mini Max was eventually taken in by a family who had started feeding him. They eventually discovered that he had ear mites, which led to a visit to Dr. Simonelli led.
In the days leading up to their reunion, Kudzma created a separate room for Mini Max to make him feel comfortable – she is now caring for kittens and is not sure how the adult cat will deal with her presence.
In the meantime, Mini Max got a full body checkup to make sure he didn’t have any ongoing health problems or broken bones from his giant leap three years ago.
Newsweek has asked Kudzma for additional comments.
