Community to the rescue

Lily Simmons, photographer

Now here’s the thing, my family and I regularly let our cat, Cinderella, out of our enclosed deck because she loves being outside. But one day she’s let out at nighttime and she either jumped or fell… who knows? 

After the first night we couldn’t find her my heart was completely broken. She’s not just a cat but she’s family to me. She’s my best friend who doesn’t talk back and is always there for me by my side.We then put up signs listing some descriptions of our beloved cat. My family and I posted all over our social media accounts, some friends came and helped us look for her in our neighborhood, and some of our friends posted information about our lost cat on their social media. People also contacted us saying that they will be on the lookout for her and that they are praying that we find her soon—alive and well. 

Thankfully, four days later after many big rainstorms, my friend called me saying how she found my cat in her backyard about three blocks away from my house. Cindy was totally fine besides being a little scared and losing some fur on her back right he paw. My family and I were so overjoyed to have her back, and Cindy seemed happier than before. She was happy to be home, and this life changing experience helped her as well as my family. 

In a weird way this tragic experience was for the better good. Now I don’t know about you, but my neighborhood isn’t very social. It’s pretty rare that we talk to our neighbors, but it’s amazing at how much they came together to help us find her. This adventure helped us to get to know our neighbors a little bit and realize we can trust them.