Missing cat found after pulling off Home Alone style stunt by slipping out the front door unnoticed and going on the lam for days after pawrents leave for xmas vacation, relieved cat dad says: ‘This is the only Christmas present I really wanted.’

Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor

May 20, 2026 9:30 AM EDT

This is why it is imperative that cats are not shown television or movies…

Cats are a crafty bunch, we are all quite accustomed to that fact at this point in time. Whether it is ingenuous distraction techniques designed to allow them to steal food when no one is watching. Or it is the way they wait for you to be within inches of them as the zoom passed you in an effort to trip you up. There is no telling how far a feline will go to get what they want. But thanks to this story's cat child we have an idea of what lengths a cat can go to try and reunite with their family over the holidays after being left home alone.

Now, whether this cat got this idea from watching one of the home alone movies, or whether the act of escaping was simply motivated by love, we will never know. But there is no denying that with it being Christmas and all, that this story has quite the Home Alone feeling to it. And much like when Kevin McAllister is found in the movie this cat was brought home for a tearful reunion with its family.

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Erugh, why do cats love doing this. The smart ones are troublingly good at escaping in this manner and it is so painful for us hoomans. It is a moment that they take advantage of and manipulate to their benefit. Causing us to believe that nothing has happened while also exercising minimal effort to make the escape. Leaving us feeling so dimwhitted for not noticing, while also somewhat disturbed that our cat would use us in such a manner. But ultimately we cannot blame ourselves, only our spicy felines who we hoped would have known better than to escape into a world that will not be kind to them…
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Orange kitten peaks head from behind table
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Not that we totally believe that a Roomba could cause a cat to want to escape its home, but we have seen cats do far more over far less. So it is not a massive stretch of the imagination to think that this might be a possible contributing factor. But if we were to deliver a verdict as to why this catto chose to run away, we would say it is a simple case of wanting to be with her pawrents. It is not easy being so far from your family, especially when they all go away at once. So much like in the actual Home Alone movies, this cat was trying its best to reunite with its family.
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Tabby cat hiding underneath a parked car
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Gray cat peaks out from behind carpeted wall
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