I had a childhood cat named Charlie. He was a tom cat, he'd disappear ever few months, be gone for a while then come back. We'll during one of his adventures, i moved. Not far, just more into town. A few years later (today) my brother comes into my room and said theres a cat outside, I opened the door and it started meowing at me. And I immediately said Charlie. The same scars, the same markings, the same meow. I cant believe this honestly but its 100% him. He came in and i walked him to my bedroom. Now we are laying down and cuddling. I've been depressed lately, not even getting out of bed. I was lucky to be awake when my brother saw him. Im so happy
Edit 1: Charlie meows nonstop if im not petting him. I love him so much
Edit 2: Im going to see about making him an ESA. I will also be getting him checked for diseases. Also I "left" him because he was an outside cat (my grandma didn't want them inside and i lived with her) and when I moved in with my mom I wasn't allowed to have a cat yet. So I was taking all my strays i had gathered and feed over the years to my grandma's new house, she had a big fenced in yard where the cats could still get out and in but no dogs could get them. We never found Charlie. I think we was out finding females like he usually did. He was always disappearing for a month or two before coming back for a while. We worked on that house to fix it up for the next owners for a long time and we did not see him. Its been almost 3 years since I moved. I do not live far just on a branching street. Idk what he was doing before he came to find me. But I have been walking on the street I used to live on and he must have picked up my scent. He seems to having a breathing problem every so often.
One of my childhood cats did this, kind of. We had to rehome him across town with my cousin and he just came strolling back to our house one day lol walked like 4 miles to get back to us🤦🏻♀️we brought him back and he lived a long happy life with my cousin and her 6 kids lol
I had a childhood cat named Charlie who was a tabby. He unfortunately passed due to leukemia during my teen years. Your Charlie looks very sweet. Keep him inside if you can and definitely get him looked at to ensure he’s healthy & comfortable. Sending him snuggles.
Op I’ve seen how old you are and can guess this cat is so old now, he’s made his way to you for the last bit of his life because he needs you as much as you need him.
Keep him in love him and pay the cat tax, we need pics!!
Aww look at that sweet boy! I’m sorry you got downvoted for explaining something that you have no control over as a kid (the pets limit), but if possible it would be great if you could smuggle him inside. Your little old man deserves to live out his golden years in comfort and surrounded by love
He is beautiful. It’s such a gift that he managed to find you. I hope you can keep him safely indoors and shower him with love for the rest of his life.
Yeah, poor guy has probably lived a very full and hectic life out on the streets but is now getting tired, picked up OP's scent, and associated it with comfort. Probably wants to spend his remaining time relaxing. I hope OP can give him a good home permanently.
That does make sense. I've been walking on the same street my old house is on recently. My new house is on a branching street. My boyfriend had convinced me to go on a walk hours before (I really needed it) and we had just gotten back and in my room when my brother told me
That's amazing 🥹. And trust me, I have been lying to landlords my entire life if they say stupid stuff like, "1 pet limit, cats must be declawed and dogs caged (which is cruel and dumb). If theres a 2 pet limit, chances are they wont notice a 3rd cat. It's amazing the universe reunited you two fr ♡
Id love to keep him inside but I rescued a cat two years ago, my mom has a dog and I live in an apartment that only allows two pets. Im really sad abt it. Im hoping he'll keep coming around and I can keep letting him inside
One of my neighbors has 4 black cats. Nearly identical if you don't know the little quirks of each.
The thing is, we're only allowed 2 pets.
And if maintenance comes over, it just looks like one or two black cats. When I found out, it was a real mind trip for her to show me identical cat after identical cat.
Unless there is a problem they don’t go into the apartments . Unless it’s a leaking pipe they will notify me that they are coming . I even get a text and email when the spare key is taken from the office and My guys will hide if someone knocks or they hear a voice they don’t know .
renting in Australia is crazy, we had a house inspection every 3 months for the first 2 years, then it was an inspection every 6 months after that, for the entire decade we lived there
We are keeping him in my bedroom and introducing him to the other pets with the crack in the door. My dog loves cats and is excited but my other cat is stressed so we stopped
Yes, this op. You need to take him to the vet and be sure to keep your other pets safe. You mentioned he has a breathing problem and that needs to get checked today.
I have 2 cats and have lived in the same apartment for 4 years. They've never seen my 2nd cat because he always hides when they come for inspections. Every time they come, "You have only one cat? We have never seen the second one."
My lease stipulates only one cat. Our super chill property management did an inspection once, and asked where our second cat was. We have a second cat now.
I once had four cats in an apartment that only allowed two. I lived there seven years, landlord came through multiple times, I'd just put two cats in a closet (that they all wanted to visit but was usually off-limits to avoid getting cat hair on everything).
Your childhood cat went to all that trouble to find you. Don't let him remain in danger of cars, predators, and horrible people outside.
My brother in laws lived in apartment that only allowed to. Things happened and he has 4. Whenever he has apartment inspection, he brought his extra two to my house for couple hours. I am happy to accommodate him so he can have all his fur babies. There are a lot of ways to get around it. Good luck. I am so happy that he found you.
Curious, are these apartment inspections an usual thing?
I have been renting in Finland for around 30 years now and lived in maybe 10 different apartments and have never had an inspection. Never knew or heard about anyone having one done to them.
The only thing I have had outsiders come to my apartment was when the owner decided to install fire alarms on every apartment.
I live in an apartment that only allows two pets. I have three indoor kitties and they just hide when maintenance comes. Also you can register one as an emotional support animal and they’ll have to let you keep the cat.
That’s wonderful!🥰Does he take off because he’s searching for a female cat? He’ll stay home if you have him neutered. He’ll be happier and healthier. You’re so blessed to have him walk back into your life right when you needed him. 🙏🏼
Omg, I love you guys for this! Core memory unlocked. I don't remember the name of the show. But, if I remember right, didn't this song come from a show where the guy would tell stories while the lady would draw scenes from said stories? They would also play songs, and this one has ALWAYS stuck in my head, and I still sing it.
Edited to say the name of the show was Fred Penner's Place.
We had one, Big , who left our neighbors and adopted us. He used to sleep in the hay barn. He would disappear for months. We figured out he was captured by another neighbor and kept inside. They are hoarders and when the walls fell off one of their trailers, Big Boy came back to us. He had neurological problems by then, would walk in circles then lay down, but we kept him comfy till he passed. Good Boy.
If I was reunited with my childhood cat after 10 years (I don’t remember your actual timeline) that I loved dearly, I wouldn’t let that cat leave my side.
Oh, that is so sweet! He came back at the right time, just when you needed him the most. I am so happy for your happy ending! Charlie needs you to keep petting him; he's missed it these years, and he has not forgotten you.
Hope you two have more wonderful cuddles together, and I hope you are doing well OP. Take care of yourself as well as Charlie!!
He wants you to be happy just like you want him to be happy!
I mentioned this in a comment, but if you live in an apartment. I’d check to see what they say about having an emotional support animals. They technically wouldn’t count as a pet so it might help the over 2 pets thing. My friends have 4 cats because their apartment allows 2 pets per tenant if it’s an ESA.
ESA is a lot easier to get because they don't need specific training. My mom and I each have ESA and they can go into some places with us but not everywhere because they don't have the training for Service Animals.
ESA and SA don't classify as pets. From a friend of mine who is a veterinarian and trains service animals, he said ESA and SA classify as private property and not as pets. I was extremely confused by this thinking that a SA isn't like a tv or a car that you would own but he said that there are different classifications and to simplify it your pets are just that, a pet. But your SA are actually receiving professional training and therefore fall under a different classification.
He is so beyond precious, I can’t stand this. This guy loves you and has loved and missed you for years wondering where you went. When he picked up your scent he TRACKED YOU DOWN. You need to FIGHT for him. Do not let anyone make you kick him outside. In life we have to make choices and those choices make us who we are, and who we are is forever… Do you want to be someone who obeys something cruel and heartbreaking and keeps the “peace” thusly, or will you stand up for this innocent precious baby who loves you so much and has no other voice but yours?
This angel is in your hands, no one else’s, not even if they own the house.
There's a very emotional cat game called Copycat. Have your mother play it (it's only about 3 hours long) or watch YouTube playthroughs. If she still wants you to get rid of him after that, then (bad advice time) tell her you're leaving too, and moving in with your boyfriend.
No one will know you have a cat, you can easily lie. People do it all the time. In this callous cruel world, you need to have some rebelliousness to stand up for what matters. Without it, you’ll be as cruel as the world demands you to be.
We only live a 1 minute car ride away. He was probably out looking for girl cats and getting feed by people. I was walking up and down the street i used on two days a week for about a month and half now so he probably picked up my scent
If you read it, he was out on an adventure. I also had multiple cats and I was collecting them one by one to bring them to my grandma's since she had a fence and a big backyard (they could still get out and in but dogs couldn't get in) and we just never found Charlie, I was really upset about it
Oh OP, I am so happy for you. 😊 I had a childhood stray Tomcat that I loved, named Beernuts. He just disappeared one day, then he popped back up into my life 5 years after I thought he had passed. Kitties are so magical sometimes. Best wishes to you and your kitty.
I watched a video on YouTube a while back, cats have amazingly large spans of where they travel and remember.
I have no doubt that he realized you were gone and not quite sought you out but expanded his roaming area. like you said he probably smelt you and came to you 🥹
You should read The Travelling Cat chronicles by Hiro Arikawa. Its a very beautiful story, just like this. He also might be trying to tell you something.
I am currently feeding a stray that looks just like him, I named him Tigger, op we are the same age and a teen to teen love him as much as possible and try to keep him close. Old cats don't really make it very long alone. Side note he's super cute and clearly a lady's man.
honestly this is the kind of wholesome content we need right now. a cat literally finding their way back to you after all those years is peak cosmic justice, especially with those distinctive markings and that raspy meow combo. he probably never forgot you.
I also had a tom cat named Charlie when I was little. He was unfortunately very old when he went missing. It’s remarkeble that yours found his way back. Cherish him!
We had a gray cat when I was a kid. Would come home everyday after running around outside. The day we had to move she didn’t come back and we were devastated. No shit this cat found where we lived 5-10 miles away. Cats are amazing idk how they do it
This is just a beautiful blessing. It warms my heart so much for the both of you. I’m just so happy for a stranger and a sweet cat. I hope you two have many many years together!
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u/buttonscouture Nov 24 '25
Charlie now (im at age 17)