Cat Reunited With Owner 571 Days After Going Missing In Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — Thanks to the power of community and the will to never give up hope, a cat was reunited with its owner in Greenwich last week after being on the loose for 571 days.

The saga started on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Byram resident Kelly Moore was hurrying to take out her recycling so she could make an appointment.

She opened the storm door to her house to go outside, but a small crack at the bottom of the door caused it to remain open. Moore's cat, Turtle, a rare Nebelung breed, rushed outside behind her.

Turtle was on the porch and was about to head back inside, but Moore came back quickly and startled him, and he ran away.
"It was a comedy of errors," Moore told Patch in an interview this week.

Moore's daughter, Shelby, had adopted Turtle while in Tennessee several years ago. After he didn't get along with Shelby's existing cat, he came to Moore in Byram and lived there for nine months before he went missing.

Moore and her daughter immediately sprang into action, and eventually enlisted Rocco Autero of Westchester County-based Rocket Lost Pet Rescue.

"He was so generous," Moore said of Autero's services. "He was worth his weight in gold."

Autero helped install trail cameras in the area and noticed Turtle was coming by Moore's house in the middle of the night, but they failed to lure him in and catch him.

"It was so maddening, because he would come and eat," Moore said. "We were like, 'He's there, he's alive!"

Turtle, who was microchipped, was adopted with a clipped ear to indicate that he underwent Trap-Neuter-Return or TNR at some point - a method used to control outdoor and feral cat populations - and Moore believes the experience left him extremely trap- and carrier-shy.

After two weeks of spotting Turtle on the cameras and after a torrential downpour, he disappeared. Moore and Autero posted to social media asking for help to locate Turtle, and they made lawn signs, relocated trail cameras, and even searched a rocky cliff near I-95 to see if he fell.

"I also followed neighborhood stray cats with the thermal drone to see where they congregated, hoping Turtle might be nearby. But despite all our efforts, we found nothing," Autero said in a social media post this week.

The days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months.

"It was hard," Moore said of the uncertainty as time went on. "Believe me, I cried. It was such a loss. It was really about relying on people, and I was trying to take care of myself."

Then, on Oct. 6, Autero noticed a post on Next Door about a long-haired grey cat that was seen on a street off I-95 in Mamaroneck, N.Y., about 6-7 miles from Byram. The cat had a clipped ear.

"I was so skeptical. I didn't want to get my hopes up," Moore said.

A woman in Mamaroneck had been feeding the cat for about a month, so Autero went to check it out later in the week. On the night of Oct. 9, Autero was able to scan the cat's chip during his regular feeding time, and the cat's identity was confirmed. It was Turtle.

The skepticism turned to shock, according to Moore, who began to game plan how to finally bring Turtle home.

On the night of Oct. 10, the Moores went to Mamaroneck with a disguised cat carrier. Shelby, the one who first adopted Turtle, was able to sneak up close during his feeding time.

"Shelby walks up, picks Turtle up under the arms, and Turtle was a total ragdoll," Moore recalled. "I just walked up, opened the top [of the carrier], and Shelby lowered him in."

Turtle was back home in Byram later that night, ending his 571-day odyssey. He's currently staying in a room at Moore's house, and he's being let out each day to get himself acclimated.

"It's like he remembered [being home]. I couldn't believe it. He was purring," Moore said.

The experience has caused Moore to be more connected to the community and her neighbors, something she said she's grateful for.

"People's hearts were open. It just feels like 'we' did it," Moore said. "It was my community that helped me through the whole thing. I grew from this."

Autero posted on social media that Turtle's case is a reminder for other people who have lost their pets to keep looking and follow up on possible sightings. He also stressed the importance of microchipping.

"Even after more than a year and a half, a single social media post and a microchip scan helped bring Turtle back home to his family!" Autero wrote.

Moore plans to take Turtle to a veterinarian to get him checked out, but he seems to be in great condition.

She is also making plans to fix her storm door.

"This is such a gift," Moore said. "I never want to lose him again."