A cat travelled more than 280 miles (450 km) to its old home before being reunited with her relocated owners – 13 months later.
Laëtitia De Amicis, 41, relocated with her family from Ambly-sur-Meuse, in the Orne region of France, to Ginai in Normandy, for work reasons a year ago.
The family took great care to keep their three cats Felys, Crapaud, and Cocci, in the new house, as they were worried they’d get lost in different surroundings.
But Cocci went missing in August 2021, only to be found by a stranger – more than 450 kilometres away 13 months later – near their previous family home.
The worried family, including Laëtitia’s two children, had searched for Cocci for three months, but to no avail.
To stop children, Tom, 17, and Margot, 13, from worrying, Laëtitia told them she thought Cocci had probably gone home to look for them in Ambly – not believing for a second it could be true.
Incredibly, on October 2, Laëtitia saw a post shared on Facebook saying that a stray cat had been found in Souilly, a town located just 10 kilometers away from Ambly-sur-Meuse.
Laëtitia, a stay-at-home mum, said: “I recognised her straight away, although she looked completely different.”
A local couple found the cat underneath a car and posted a picture of the adventurous feline on missing pets website, Pet Alert.
The cat was sent to the local veterinarian in Souilly, who confirmed the missing animal was 10 years old and had been spayed, just like Cocci.
Photos were exchanged and Laëtitia sent her dad, Bernard De Amicis, to identify her.
“She looked completely different. She couldn’t have lasted more than 24hrs,” Laëtitia added.
“I sent my dad who knows my cats. I asked him to go and see.”
Bernard, who was reluctant to go, said he couldn’t believe it was possible that the cat was actually Cocci and had travelled across the country.
Laëtitia added: “When he called me that day I understood straight away. I saw my dad cuddling my cat on the video call.
“I knew it was her. I recognised her straight away. He tried to call her different names and she only responded to Cocci.
“When my dad called me, I was with my daughter. She looked at her and recognised her and burst into tears. I was also crying.
“My son was very sceptical until we went to pick her up. But as soon as we got there, she recognised us straight away. It’s unbelievable. I still can’t believe it.”
Cocci stayed with the vet for an additional three weeks before the family was allowed to take her home.
Laëtitia said: “She was less than one kilogram. She had fleas, worms and an infection in her face.
“Since we brought her home, all is going well. She adapted again really well. She’s very cuddly.”
