Cat Found Safe After 5 Weeks Purrfectly Happy To Be Home

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — A missing cat, Whisper, who was found safe after being lost for more than five weeks, has readjusted nicely and is purrfectly happy to be back home, his grateful owner said.

When he was first found he was very thin, alert, and "talkative", owner Lois Beekman told Patch. "After several hours at the emergency clinic he checked out and just talked and talked all the way home next to me in the front seat of my car," she said.

At first, at home he was endlessly sniffing the area he and his two cat companions love to spend time in, her bedroom, Beekman said. For the first two days he was almost hunched over when he moved around, rubbing his jaw over door frames and furniture leg, she said.

"He did not have as much energy in his jump onto the bed or even try to scale a windowsill. He did eat with gusto and drank lots of water," Beekman said. "I read articles that suggested this was the feline version of PTSD."

The symptoms improved day by day, she said. "Six days later he was back in charge, tapping me or meowing for the ceiling fan to be on or off, reminding me to make the bed the way he prefers it for his morning nap, directing the other two cats' activities and gently leading me to put on the classical radio station he likes in the early evening. He is now pretty much back to normal," she said.

But there are moments when the pair, who share a deep bond, seem to realize just how close they came to never seeing one another again, she said.

"From time to time before I turn off the lights and we snuggle up to sleep, he stares deep into my eyes, purrs, and rubs his cheek against mine," Beekman said. "I know we both feel a connection and closeness that is unique. And I know how lucky we are."

Whisper, a declawed house cat not used to being outside, went missing July 26 near the Shinnecock Animal Hospital — on Montauk Highway and Gravel Hill Road in Hampton Bays — when the bottom of the carrier he was in broke. Far from their home in Southampton, his owner Beekman was terrified he would never be able to find his way back to her.

But through sheer grit and a dose of faith — as well as the tireless efforts of Teddy Henn of Missing Angels Long Island and his teammate, Charmaine DeRosa — Whisper was saved.

"We all think Teddy Henn is a saint," Beekman said. "He should be St. Teddy, protector of lost pets."