Search Continues For Cat Missing 4 Months: 'We Miss Him So Much'

MANORVILLE, NY — The search is on for a cat, Ginger Boy, who's been missing since November from his Manorville home.

According to Ginger Boy's owner, Galina Melnik, he went missing on Nov. 9 from Eastport Manor Road, close to Simpson Gate in Manorville, from her family's farm.

On November 9, Melnik said a "strange car was parked on our property between the barn and farm stand. When my husband drove toward the car, the driver took off," she said. Later, she said, the car was back and when her husband went to speak to the driver, he drove away.

While she is unsure if the car had anything to do with her cat's disappearance, Melnik said she filed a police report. So far, there have been no answers; there was no security camera yet when her cat went missing.

On Saturday, there was hope: An orange cat was spotted Saturday evening on Cayuga Street in Center Moriches; a sighting was also reported early in the day on South Country Road, near Cedar Lane, in Remsenburg.

Ginger Boy is a 15-lb., male cat, two-and-a-half years old, who was wearing a gray flea collar; he has a white belly, white socks, and white around his mouth, Melnik said. He is not friendly with strangers.

Ginger Boy captured Melnik's heart from the first.

"I found him in irrigation pipe on back yard off our small family farm," she said. "He was about four weeks old. He was cold and hungry, covered with fleas and ticks."

She, her husband, son and grandson fell in love with the tiny kitten, feeding him with a syringe until he was able to eat on his own.

She adored him so much that Melnik began to write stories about her orange, four-footed friend.

At the beginning, she said, Ginger Boy was very frightened after spending time alone outdoors. "He immediately accepted us as a family, but for a long time did not trust all strangers and growled and hissed at everyone who approached us," she said.

Also, she added, Ginger was never happy indoors. "He wanted be outside from the beginning," she said. "He was a farm cat, loved being with us outside."

Describing her feline friend, Melnick said: "He is smart and mischievous and strong from running in the fields all the time. We miss him so much. I am looking for him every day."

If you see Ginger Boy, call 631-603-4599.