Woman Calls Cat to Come In for the Night but There's Just One Small Problem

A woman in Indiana has shared how she was stunned to return home to find an unexpected visitor in her home—a rogue feline.

Lisa Madrid's rescue cat, Catcha, had gone out of the cat window, but when she thought she saw him return on her security camera, something was different.

"I saw that Catcha went out of the cat window," Madrid told Newsweek. "I didn't see him come back in, so I called him through the Ring doorbell. The colors on the Ring were completely inaccurate. A cat came in, [and] as the tail went through I realized that is not my cat's tail."

When Madrid returned home, she was pretty sure there would be a cat in the house and soon discovered Catcha as well as a rogue visitor.

"I felt a lot of panic because he looked much bigger than my kitty, and they were facing off," she said.

The mysterious intruder, later identified as Gilbert, managed to slip through a larger cat door, surprising Madrid with his boldness.

Despite her initial fright, Madrid found Gilbert to be sweet and friendly, but she noticed blood on him, prompting her to take him to an animal care and control facility for medical attention.

The staffers there found that Gilbert wasn't micochipped, and with limited space the options for him were slim—a community cat program involving a chip, neuter and release, euthanasia or adoption.

"I wasn't looking to get another cat as I had only rescued my cat four months before and I didn't feel he was ready for other cats, but I also wanted Gilbert to have a home," Madrid said. "I signed adoption paperwork, and I agreed that I would take him if they did not find his owner. They agreed to neuter him, provide medical care and hold him for three days to give his owner a chance to find him."

During this time, Madrid set her heart on helping to locate Gilbert's owner. She shared his story on social media, reaching out to local community groups.

Before long, her persistence paid off when a woman reached out after recognizing Gilbert on a "Lost Cats of Fort Wayne" forum.

Gilbert had gone missing after escaping shortly after the family moved.

"Poor Gilbert was unfamiliar with the area and probably couldn't find his way back to his new home. She had been looking for months and had almost given up hope when she saw the post," Madrid said.

Madrid directed the woman to the animal care and control facility, where she was able to reclaim Gilbert.

"It was the best possible outcome because he was back with his original family, including his brother," Madrid said.