Advertisement

3 Years After Japan Tsunami Tore Them Apart, Cat and Owners Reunited

A cat who disappeared during the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011 has been reunited with his owners after more than three years, Japanese newspaper the Asahi Shimbun reports.

More on Yahoo Shine: Overweight Animals Compete in Pet Version of 'Biggest Loser'

Suika, a black domestic shorthaired cat, was separated from his owners, Kazuko Yamagishi, 64, and her husband, Takeo, 67, on March 11, 2011. Although the couple, who live in the town of Ofunato, searched for Suika for three months, they eventually gave up hope and presumed he hadn’t survived the disaster.

However, just last month someone noticed a cat curled up among the trees in a town about 10 miles from the Yamagishis' home and brought it to the Ofunato Health Center.

More on Yahoo: Police Find Lion Stolen From Brazil Animal Shelter

After the unidentified cat wasn’t claimed for a few days, animal rescue officials decided to try to locate the owners through an ad in a local newspaper with the cat’s picture. While an employee was setting the animal up to have its picture taken, he noticed faded letters on the cat’s collar. The worker was able to decipher a name and cellphone number, both belonging to Takeo Yamagishi. It was, finally, the happy ending the couple had given up on.

Pets eventually finding their way back home after being displaced by a natural disaster isn’t common, although it does happen. Take, for example, a New Jersey family that lost their dog, Reckless, after Hurricane Sandy struck in 2012. When they decided it was time to get a new pet last month, nearly a year and a half after Reckless had disappeared, they ended up discovering the pitbull mix at a nearby shelter. And after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in August 2005, J.J. Pullins reluctantly left his Labrador-shepherd mix behind as he fled the state. But four years later, man and his best friend were back together again.

How Suika survived is a mystery, but an added bell on his collar indicates he was probably well cared for. “Where have you been?” Kazuko Yamagishi asked the cat, according to the Asahi Shimbum, when they were finally reunited. “It’s just like a dream.”

More on Yahoo Shine:
Officers Rescue Scared Dog from Busy Highway
This Dog Knows the Joys of Adopting an Animal
Photographer Uses Technical Wizardry to Help Rescue Animals Find Homes