‘We Miss Her’: Levittown Family Makes Impassioned Plea To Bring Lost Cat Home

LEVITTOWN, NY. — As Long Island thaws out from its second blizzard in as many months, a Levittown family is making an impassioned plea to bring home the cat they lost in January’s blizzard. Socks, a feral backyard tuxedo cat, had lived with the Ruiz family in Levittown for four years before going missing after the snowstorm in late January.

Socks was already a mother when she came to the Ruiz household. Jamie Ruiz-DeKenipp, who was living with her parents when they found Socks, said she and her parents initially spotted a trio of kittens living in their back yard. Over the summer of 2022, Ruiz-DeKenipp and her parents began feeding the kittens, eventually trapping them and taking them to get TNR — trap, neuter, release — care. It was during this time that the Ruizes met the kittens’ mother, whom the family would come to know as Socks.

In the four years since Socks started living with the Ruizes, Jamie said she has become an integral part of the family. Two of her three kittens have been adopted and now live in loving homes, the third is currently at the Long Island Feline Adoption Center in Smithtown.

Socks even has her own heated, miniature version of Jamie’s parents’ Levitt house, with the siding and roofing to match. That Levitt house, Jamie said, has its own address, named in similar fashion to the Harry Potter world’s “Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters.” If the Ruiz house is number 75 (for the purposes of this story, the home number has been changed) the family refers to Socks’ pint-sized Levitt pad as “75-and-three-quarters.”

Socks, with her heated mini-Levitt home

Jamie said her family is known around the block for being cat people, and had just lost their family cat who had been with them for years when they found Socks. While they always had a soft spot for felines, Socks made an impression.

“It really goes back to our family cat we had for years, so cats really hold a soft spot,” Ruiz said. As for that now-departed family cat Ruiz said, “His name was Prince, and he was an indoor-outdoor cat. And our neighbors got to know him, and really grew fond of him. So our family is associated as being a cat family in our neighborhood. And, given that my cats — which are my parents' grandcats — are now out of the house, Socks has provided a real companionship to my parents, who are both retired, and something for them to look forward to, and become a little family of their own.”

That “little family” met every day, when Jamie’s parents open the back door of their house to feed Socks a combination of freshly boiled chicken and cat treats. Socks, Jamie said, is a vocal cat around feeding time. As for her parents, she said it’s a highlight of their days. Since the snow storm, those meetings haven't been taking place.

“It's something that they look forward to every day. She talks to both of them. She's very vocal. As soon as she hears the doors the door open in the backyard, she reports for her meal,” Jamie said. “It is a real letdown for them, and the reason I've kind of taken charge is they're not exactly on Facebook, or technologically savvy. So, given my experience, it's great to get the word out…with my own network, on their behalf, to try and get Socks back home.”

Whenever Socks does come home, Jamie said, the family has big plans for their furry friend. A wide network of well-wishers and helpers have already contacted her with thoughts, prayers, and the occasional picture of a cat with an accompanying message asking, “Is this your cat?”

While none of those messages have come in with the right cat yet, Jamie said she's still confident Socks will come home. The messages of love and support have been a welcome surprise, she added.

“I think we're not used to seeing these acts of kindness as often as we would like to, and people going the extra mile to say, ‘Hey, I've seen that cat that looks like that. Is this your cat?’ Or sending good thoughts and prayers is just so nice to hear,” Jamie said. “We miss her, and we are so used to seeing her every day. So hopefully, if she does come back, which we're praying she does, we'd like to make her an indoor cat and make her permanent home the inside of my parents' house.”

If anyone finds Socks, Jamie said the best approach would be to contact her family with a picture, if possible. Approaching Socks, she said, would be ill-advised, on account of her being a feral cat.

"Feral cats do not go very far. I believe she's in the East Village Green area," Jamie said. "So within a couple of blocks...I think she's in that area. Another tip to be to check sheds, garages, outdoor storage, because sometimes feral cats hunker down in there, but the best would be to contact us with a location."