'My husband is convinced it's our cat': Family's feline goes missing, two weeks later "their cat" comes back and they try to understand if it's her or an adorable impawstor

Author image for Ayala Sorotsky
Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor
Jun 21, 2026 9:30 AM EDT

Losing a cat is horrible, finding a lost cat is amazing, but the unknown of the in-between is very weird.

If you're a cat parent, raising your cat child with love and care, you know how scary the thought of losing them is. We're not talking about cats crossing the rainbow bridge from old age - it's extremely sad, but at least something you can prepare for and expect, knowing your cat has led a great life before their passing. But when a cat goes missing, when you literally lose your cat, as plain as day - it's a very scary thought. We hope no cat parent (and no cat!) will go through it.

We almost lost our cat this way - when she was a few months old kitten, she fell from the third-floor window because she wanted to chase a bird. We later found her, scared and alone, hiding in a bush. After a vet visit, to make sure she's okay (mostly, she was), we took her back home. This was six years ago, she's alive and well. But… the thought of the potential to never find her again is a haunting one that we really prefer not to think about. But there's even a more overwhelming and weird thought we're glad we didn't have to deal with - what if we've found our cat, but we were not sure she was our cat at all?

This is exactly what one family is dealing with. Their cat went missing two weeks ago, and then she came back… they think. Actually, they are so unsure if they really found their cat that they turned to the wisdom of the masses. They posted pictures of their cat and "their cat" side by side to ask the online feline family if they really think their actual cat found her way back home. What do you think? Look below, maybe you'll get an answer we didn't think about.

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    Cat went missing- Unsure if we found her
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    I live in Cantonment FL. My cat is a female, spayed and declawed in the front (her previous owners doing!). She's roughly 5 years old. Timid but sweet cat.
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    My adult female cat went unexpectedly missing June 1st 2026. She's been missing as of now for two weeks. The weather has been high 80's low 90's and humid. So it's VERY hot.
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    She's an indoor/outdoor cat. She loves sitting outside or in the sun and she adventures slightly behind our fence and it's never been an issue. Till she came up missing one day out of the blue. There are coyotes in the area.
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    I assume something chased her off and she became lost. The woodlands behind our house were torn down with a road paved to soon build DR Horton homes My
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    cats have never had issues getting lost till the woodlands were torn down. Exposing Lord knows what to the area.
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    I've put out posters on the streets nearby and posted online. So someone found a cat eating and drinking water at their property yesterday and it resembled her. It
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    didn't look like my cat up close, however, the fur coat was spot on. We took them home. They are so skinny their back leg bones stick out. Face is puffy. They
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    sneeze or make noises when throat is touched. Drinks some water, not eating much. Can't walk well because of being without food/water and I think there is an injury on their leg from something. They are very weak and hurting.
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    So the reason for my post is... What is everyone's experience with losing a cat for at least two weeks, and when returned it didn't look like them because of the trauma they went through.
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    My husband is convinced it's our cat. But how can it be? It doesn't look like how our girl normally did... any thoughts are appreciated
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    I have a vet appointment this afternoon to get them help irregardless if this is my cat or not. However I think confirming the sand if they are declawed in the front will help confirm if it's our sweet kitty girl.
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    FroYo Yoda Claws are a vital defense for a cat to survive a predator attack. They can't even climb a tree to escape, all they have is teeth. So even their natural ability to hunt has been severely depleted.
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    This is only one reason why so many people warn of the dangers of having a cat who is outdoors and free roaming. It's incredibly dangerous for them! Even if they have claws.
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  • We tend to agree with this unfortunate wisdom in this comment. Since their cat's front paws were declawed, her survival chances outside, in a place with many coyotes, are next to zero. With a very heavy heart, we admit we're not optimistic.

    We'll take that as an opportunity to stress the fact that declawing your cats is a cruel and horrid act. We stand strongly behind this statement. A cat's claws are an essential part of their bodies, and stress relief - as they scratch surfaces to calm themselves down (in addition to the very natural way they “trim” their nails like that). Taking it away from them is downright cruel. How would you feel if someone took away your nails? Yeah, exactly.

    Now, we understand they adopted her like that, and it's not this family's fault she doesn't have her front claws. But, and it's a bit but - a declawed cat should never be allowed outside, exactly for the reasons listed here. Their chances of survival without their claws, their weapons and hunting tools, are very low.

    We still hold hope that their family actually found their cat, and she just looks different because of the trauma and lack of food. Hope for cats should never be diminished in our opinion. But it's also important to keep reality in mind.

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    FragrantSea1396 OP I agree with you. They need their claws. They have them for a reason. I also agree letting them outdoors with or without claws is dangerous and should be discouraged. I have made my bed though, and bearing the consequences. I'm trying my best, and never meant harm for my sweet fur baby. It's a hard world out there.
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    MealParticular1327 I live in Florida and my cat disappeared for two weeks last year. She's an indoor only cat, and never left before in her than 10 years of life. When she returned (animal control found her, she was chipped) she was
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    extremely skinny but otherwise healthy. She looked aged, like this cat, even though it was only two weeks. So yes, it's possible this is your cat but the eyes don't look the same. Sorry, but the color is off and the shape is different.
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    FragrantSea1396 OP This is the information I'm looking for. Thank you.
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    ashleymaariexo Orange shows the differing M shapes on the forehead. Red shows the additional whisker. Yellow shows the brown under new cats pupils.
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    abbriggs22 I don't think this is the same cat, nonetheless it would be very grateful to you if you took it in.
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    seeking_answer88 Keep the cat even if it isn't yours. It was meant to be. Edit: I adopted a declawed cat at age seven, and I would NEVER let him out (or any cat). They need claws to climb trees, escape predators, and get food. Please do not ever let a declawed cat outside. If you have the resources, you can make a catio.
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missing cat felines feline family Cats run away pets not my cat animals
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