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JOPLIN, Mo. — A family whose home was destroyed by a powerful tornado has been reunited with the family pet 17 months after the storm struck.
The Kent family had huddled in their basement during the EF-5 storm, but their gray cat, Simba, had wandered away. The tornado destroyed 7,500 homes, including the Kent's, and killed 158 people — and after visiting animal shelters in the area, it seemed like Simba had been lost, as well.
Jan Kent told the Joplin Globe the family was showing their old neighborhood to an in-from-out-of-town relative on Sunday when they saw a cat that looked just like Simba.
"There's a nick on his ear, and when I saw that, I just knew," Kent told the paper. "I called his name, and he came right over. I never thought we would have him back."
The family said the cat is thinner, but appears to be in good shape. They suspect someone has been feeding him, according to the Kansas City Star.
The family is moving to a new house next month and is happy to be taking Simba with them.
"It's like he never left us," said Stephanie Kent, 14. "This all feels like a dream to me still."
The May 22, 2011, tornado reached a width of a mile wide as it tore through Joplin. It was the deadliest tornado in America since 1947, killing 158 and injuring about 1,000. The storm did $2.8 billion in damage, leaving nearly 7,000 houses flattened in its wake.
Image credit: Kansas City Star
