An indoor cat who had managed to run away for six weeks has finally returned.
TikTok user @klassykalexis shared in a November 19 video that their mother's orange cat, Hoss, escaped outside over six weeks ago. This news devastated the entire family. They searched for him, but as time ticked on, their hopes started diminishing.
As reported previously by PetRadar, an app that helps reconnect missing pets with their families, the median time a missing cat is reunited with its family is five days. As that time increases, the chances start decreasing. Very few cats are found alive after 90 days.
This cat's fate, thankfully, didn't end badly, although the six long weeks still put a toll on the family. Nels and Alexis Bostrom told Newsweek via email that the family thought they would never see Hoss again. But when he did return, they found him in rough shape.
"When we found him, he was tiny and weak," the Bostroms said. "We actually found him lying in our yard. We were surprised since we started to lose hope."
Hoss returned with a dangling ear and a chunk of his tail missing. In the clip, he sat with his head down defeated. He looked embarrassed to come home in that condition, but he was also admitting that "he wasn't made for the streets."
The Bostroms said it scared them to see Hoss in that condition, but they immediately got him seen by the vet and now he's doing great.
"He has gained his weight and muscle back," they said. "Part of his ear and tail did fall off but is healed. He's been to the vet since and they said he's doing great!"
One would think after what Hoss has experienced outside, he would no longer want to escape, but that is quite the opposite. A follow-up video revealed Hoss is still trying to escape out of the house.
The text on the video reads: "Apparently he has some unfinished business out there."
Viewer Reactions
With over 1.2 million views and 98,100 likes on TikTok, people were thrilled he returned but also felt horrible he experienced the scariness of the outside world.
"He's never leaving her side again!" said one viewer, while another pointed out: "He looks so sad. Cuddle that poor kitty."
A third commented: "He has some stories to tell."
This was a lesson that was "hard learned," but one the cat won't likely ever do again.
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