Smokey the Scottish Fold spent 24 hours lost and alone before a kind stranger took him in and reunited him with the owner who'd been searching everywhere: 'She literally rushed to the clinic crying happy tears!'

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Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor
Jun 5, 2026 3:00 PM EDT

We love a Good Samaritan who saves a cat!

We can't imagine the stress and horror a person who has lost their cat goes through. Searching by foot, posting online, calling shelters and vet offices - cat pawrents would do anything to find their cats and bring them home. Cats are our family, and that's very clear. It was also clear to one woman whose cat was found by a kind man from the r/notmycat community. She searched for her cat for over 24 hours, and as cat pawrents ourselves, we can't even imagine what she had gone through.

Our beloved cat once fell from the third-floor window and disappeared. We were devastated, but that lasted for a couple of hours, until we found her under a bush, scared, confused, and hurt. We took her to the vet, of course, and it has been a good few years since then. But we can't imagine going through a 24-hour search, not knowing where our cat is.

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  • 01
    Found this angel in my yard. Took him inside. Checked with neighbors, but nobody knows him.
    via SaffronSoul_
  • 02
    www
    via SaffronSoul_
  • 03
    My heart breaks thinking his owners are worried sick and looking for him. I don't know what to do. What should I do in this situation? Where should I turn for help? Please advice.
    via SaffronSoul_

  • This person did the right thing. To us, the right thing is always tapping into the collective knowledge of the online feline family. It's not only that cat people are the kindest people on the internet, but they're always at the ready to help anyone with questions about cats. We have a theory that it comes from the knowledge that helping someone who needs help with a cat is, as a byproduct or directly, helping the cat. And we think any cat person would agree - a happy cat makes a happy cat person. So knowing a cat is doing better because you could help, even from afar, even from the other side of the world, because a person turned to the online cat-loving collective - will always make us, and any other cat person, happy.

    And besides, cat people hold so much experience and information that they can share. So a person in need of advice about cats will always find someone who has the exact answer that'll help the kitty. Thi sis why it's the right thing to do. Asking for help is never a weakness, especially with cats - because the online feline family is one big strength.

  • 04
    Cheezburger Image 10635824384
    via SaffronSoul_
  • 05
    Booksalot 0919 Lots of vets will do complimentary scans for chips. He looks a little young so maybe he hasn't been chipped (and some people never do chip their pets) but it's worth a shot!
    via Booksalot_0919
  • 06
    Square_Top7308 He looks like he may be a Scottish Fold - he is adorable! | agree with getting him scanned for a chip and going from there. Good luck!
    via Square_Top7308
  • 07
    Gato 1486 If you make posts on facebook and nextdoor etc, DO NOT INCLUDE PICTURES. A purebreed cat will bring out TONS of "owners." They will need to provide pictures to you as part of evidence of ownership.
    via Gato1486

  • That's such a good piece of advice! People trying to steal purebred cats actually exist, and we're appalled by it. First of all, why would you steal someone's cat? Like, we know why - they want to sell them and make a profit. Whish leads us to ask the second question - why in the name of all the fluff would you think it's ok to use an animal for profit? Not thinking of the animal's best, that's for sure. Greed really blinds people sometimes. But when it comes at the expense of a pet, it makes it way more disgusting.

  • 08
    Terrible_turtle_ Exactly, I found an Abyssinian once and I didn't even mention the breed when I posted. Just said brown cat, figured the owners would know. Made the people show pictures before I handed him over. Great cat.
    via Terrible_turtle_
  • 09
    Faisfancy Such a beautiful little one. I'm in the check for Chip camp. And definitely be careful with anyone trying to claim them. You could end up with a line around the block for that one! Good luck, and thank you for taking care of them.
    via Faisfancy
  • 10
    deltadeltadawn If he's not chipped and the owner is not located, will you keep him? He's adorable. If he were mine, I'd be frantic trying to find that precious little floof!
    via deltadeltadawn
  • 11
    SaffronSoul OP of course we will! he chose us, no way we could turn him away. a few people actually messaged me already, currently talking to them to see if they're the real owners. some just stop replying when i ask for photos. if the owner is found, i'll
    via SaffronSoul_
  • 12
    post an update here for sure. if not, he's staying with us, he's just too beautiful and clearly a purebred. we're also taking him to the vet soon to check for a chip just in case!
    via SaffronSoul_
  • 13
    DiveCat Yes, do not just give him away to someone who cannot properly identify him or prove ownership. Some may be just lying to get a purebred, but there are also a lot of people with bad intentions out there who would cause harm to this baby as well, unfortunately.
    via DiveCat
  • 14
    LadyCommand Relatively close to us there are a group of barn cats that look like Scottish folds, but aren't pure bred by any means. Kitten is adorable, let us know if it's chipped.
    via LadyCommand
  • 15
    Btw, call any vets that are reasonably close by. Even if someone hasn't posted somewhere (or seen your post because not on that forum for whatever reason) they might call their & other vets to see if anyone has called about or brought one in. Hugs for caring for that little, adorable, beauty!
    via LadyCommand
  • 16
    SaffronSoul OP update: happy ending!! ❤ we just got back from the vet and HE WAS CHIPPED! turns out this precious little guy's name is smokey. the vet scanned him, found the owner's info in the database, and called her right away.
    via SaffronSoul_
  • 17
    she literally rushed to the clinic crying happy tears! she lives just two blocks away from us. turns out smokey got spooked by a neighbor's dog yesterday and bolted. they'd been looking for him for over 24 hours and were completely frantic. she was so incredibly grateful and didn't even know how to thank us for reacting so fast and keeping him safe.
    via SaffronSoul_
  • 18
    i'm so happy he's back with his family now! thank you everyone here for the amazing advices! you guys rock!
    via SaffronSoul_
  • 19
    Honest-Ad1030 Awh yay! I was going to say Scottish folds are pretty expensive cats, the previous owners or breeders would be silly to not microchip him! So thankful you were the one to find him and reunite him with his family!
    via Honest-Ad1030
  • 20
    WillyValentine I'm a tough old guy but stories like this bring a tear to my eyes. Well done on your efforts to reunite the family back together. Your precious heart knew what it would be like if it was happening to you so you knew you had to try to reunite who is now known as Smokey with his family. Blessings to you
    via WillyValentine

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wholesome cat adorable heartwarming kindness scottish fold Lost Cat happy ending Cats lost
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