As the May 22 tornado destroyed their home on Kingsdale Street, the Kent family remained safe after taking refuge in their basement.
That is, everyone except their cat, Simba, who had wandered off before the storm’s full fury devastated their home. Sisters Alexandra, 21, and Stephanie Kent, 14, thought their furry, grey friend was lost along with their house.
On Sunday, however, the family was reunited with their beloved pet.
“We took my aunt, who was in town from Atlanta, through the old neighborhood and we were looking at where the house had been and mom saw the cat,” Alexandra said. “I said, ‘That looks like Simba,’ so we got out and I went up to him. I never thought it would actually be our cat.”
Once her mother, Jan Kent, realized that it was the same cat that they had thought they lost, the family circled around him.
“There’s a nick on his ear and when I saw that, I just knew,” Jan said. “I called his name and he came right over. I never thought we would have him back.”
In the aftermath of the storm, the family had contacted local shelters and posted on message boards in hopes of recovering the animal.
“I had went to shelters and even went back over to the streets at night,” Jan said. “We’ve always held out hope that maybe someone took him in or that he had found his way to another loving family somewhere.”
Simba had been a member of the Kent family since they adopted him in 2002 from PetSmart. Stephanie said that the sisters had picked the cat out because he was active and looked like he was tough.
“I liked that he was so wild when we were adopting him,” Stephanie said. “He was the wildest cat there, we knew he was a survivor.”
Despite a little bit of weight loss and a thicker coat, Simba survived to reunite with the family.
“He’s a lot smaller now than he was at the old house,” Alexandra said. “He was a big kitty before, but you can tell someone has taken care of him by feeding him. There wasn’t a collar on him or anything and he was near a house. We tried to knock on the door near where we found him, just in case there was someone to thank.”
The Kent family is currently staying at a local hotel until their new house is ready to move into next month. Simba will stay with their grandmother, Ruth Snider, until the new house is ready.
For Stephanie, having him back with the family is the best housewarming present they could receive.
“It’s like he never left us,” she said. “This all feels like a dream to me still.”
Top Stories
Related Photos
Discussion
Family reunited with missing pet nearly 18 months after tornado
- Top Stories
-
-
‘Lucky ’13’: 481 graduate from Joplin High School
Samantha Mahurin believes students in the Joplin High School class of 2013 are unique in that they have survived — together — what she calls the “roller coaster” of their high school career.
-
Announcements, picnics, tributes all scheduled for tornado anniversary event
Wednesday’s second anniversary observance of the May 22, 2011, tornado that devastated the Joplin and Duquesne area is expected to include several key announcements.
-
Interfaith services an outgrowth of 2011 tornado in Joplin
Celebrating community and rebuilding, members of three faiths came together Sunday at the Landreth Park amphitheater as part of an ongoing interfaith effort that came out of the aftermath of the May 22, 2011, tornado.
-
FACES OF RECOVERY: 176,869 volunteers help put Joplin together again
They initially came in droves, pouring into Joplin by the thousands during the months following the May 2011 tornado to clear debris, clean up damaged homes and businesses and distribute donations of food, water, clothing and other necessities.
-
Yahoo takes big leap with $1.1B deal for Tumblr
Yahoo is buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion as CEO Marissa Mayer tries to rejuvenate an Internet icon that had fallen behind the times.
-
VIDEO: Nearly 2,300 take part in second Joplin Memorial Run
Having just cruised across the line to finish in first place in the Joplin Memorial Run’s half-marathon, Andrew Webb paused for a moment to catch his breath and take it all in.
-
Hatred, resentment and retribution fueled bloody encounter at Rader’s Farm
Members of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry regiment had been in Jasper County in large numbers on previous foraging missions. Coming from their outpost in modern-day Baxter Springs, Kan., the armed former slaves in Union uniforms had entered the property and homes of white residents to take their food or other useful supplies.
-
VIDEO: Memorial run draws nearly 2,300
In all, nearly 2,300 runners gathered near Memorial Hall Saturday morning to take part in either the half marathon, 5K or 1-mile kids run.
-
Ceremony to mark push for Civil War memorial
Organizers hope that today’s ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of a Civil War battle northwest of Joplin also will encourage support to finance a permanent memorial on the site.
-
Disaster response team to hold tornado memorial ride
A group of motorcycle enthusiasts who focus on disaster relief plan to hold a motorcycle ride through Joplin on the second anniversary of the May 22, 2011, tornado.
- More Top Stories Headlines
-
Raw: Accused US Spy Reportedly Leaves Russia
AP CEO: Records Seizure 'Unconstitutional'
Fatal Hot Air Balloon Accident in Turkey
Tornadoes, Storms Strike Midwest
'Babyland': Camp Lejeune's Toxic Legacy?
Raw: Heavy Tornado Damage in Shawnee, Okla
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
