In hopes that his actual cat, Oliver, would return, Halie Kutscher’s 9-year-old son cuddled an orange cat Beanie Baby for weeks.
The youngster was unaware that Oliver was traveling nearly 40 kilometers so they could be reunited.
The Kutscher family was recently getting ready to move from their home in Bridgeport, West Virginia, to Morgantown when they realized their cat had disappeared. After a thorough search, they made the difficult decision to leave without him, vowing to return to Bridgeport and look.
“We knew that we had some time to keep coming back to the old house to look for him, so we were still hopeful,” Kutscher told “We would go back every weekend.”
But each time the family returned, Oliver was nowhere to be found.
“Everytime we left without a sign of him, my son … would cry relentlessly,” Kutscher said. “It was heartbreaking to watch.”
The Kutschers’ hope started to fade once they finally sold their home. They were ready for a challenging chat with their kid in which they would deliver the devastating news that Oliver was probably no longer with them.
Kutscher stated, “His dad and I didn’t anticipate we’d have to deal with the death of a pet at such a young age.
An instantly recognizable set of ears soon materialized in their yard.
Oliver had surprisingly located them.
Kutscher said, “He was just looking up at us. As soon as we entered the building, I went to my knees and simply held him as he sobbed. “I grabbed him straight up in my arms. The rest of the family and the animals crowded around him, but he remained right there with me.
Oliver had somehow made his way home, all by himself, as later confirmed by a microchip scan at the veterinarian.
Though he had been through so much, Oliver was just the same.
“He wasn’t scared or timid or anything,” Kutscher said. “He just looked content and happy to be home, and tired.”
Now safe in his new home, Oliver can finally relax after such a long journey. His family might never know how their cunning cat found them, but they’re so happy he did.
