Lilly, an eight-year-old cat with an unsuspected talent for tech, has astonished her owners by returning after an absence of several days– and activating the Ring doorbell to be let in.
Cats are incredible animals. We’ve shared some extraordinary missing/found cat stories, such as Barnaby who was found by chance after three months, and Rowdy the cat who spent three weeks living at a US airport before being recovered. We’ve never come across a story quite like this one, though – a cat that’s so polite she rings the doorbell for attention.
Intelligent feline Lilly, who lives in Mastic Beach, Long Island NY with owner Stefanie Whitley, was missing for several days before making a surprise return.
Lilly is no stranger to adventure – she was abandoned as a kitten in a dumpster before being rescued by a firefighter and taken to a veterinarian.
Whitley adopted her and hand reared her until she was on solids, and the pair formed an unbreakable bond. As Lilly grew she became a familiar figure in the neighborhood, following Whitley around like a dog.
A couple of weeks after moving to a new house in Mastic Beach though, Lilly went out as usual – and didn’t come back.
It’s every cat owner’s worst nightmare. Having had cats at her old home killed by traffic Whitley was terrified she’d never find out what had happened to her beloved pet.
“This time it felt different,” she said. “I didn’t think Lilly was coming home” she told PIX11 News.
Finally, the vigil ended in the most dramatic way possible.
Around 10pm the Whitley family were watching TV when the screen lit up with a signal from their Ring doorbell.
“We all looked at each other – who’s that at our door at this time of night?” said Whitley. Seconds later the question was answered as an image of Lilly’s face appeared.
The device, connected via Alexa to their Ring doorbell, was telling them there was a very welcome visitor.
In the clip, recorded by the doorbell, Lilly can be seen clambering over the device while mewing plaintively.
“We all gasped, we were laughing, we were emotional, we were crying,” said Whitley.
“It was a great moment, because she clearly knew what she was doing. I do feel that if it wasn’t for the Ring camera, we wouldn’t have known that Lilly was outside. I don’t know how she found us, but she knows what she’s doing,”
Whitley has speculated that her pet possibly got into trouble exploring her new ‘hood’, and reports that she seems happy to stay at home for now.
We’re just happy this tech-savvy kitty is back safe and sound!
