Woman Loses Cat, Then Moves House. Cannot Believe What Shows Up.

Newsweek

2 days ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A woman has left the internet teary-eyed after sharing the emotional story of a stray cat that appeared at her door years after the death of her childhood feline companion—bearing striking similarities.
The viral video posted by Iris Kessler (@iriskessler0), 25, a videographer from Ohio, has garnered 1 million likes and 3 million views.
Kessler first lost her beloved black cat, Voodoo, when she was 18. Her mom had gone to a shelter and asked which cat had been there the longest. The staff pointed her to "a grumpy black cat with a little white patch under his chin." Kessler's mom brought him home, and though he initially hid for a few days, he eventually warmed up.
"According to the records at the shelter, me and Voodoo had the exact same birthday down to the year and we're best friends immediately," she told Newsweek. One memorable Christmas, toddler-aged Kessler was found behind the tree giving Voodoo a haircut while he sat contentedly.
A split image of Iris Kessler's strikingly similar cats, Voodoo and Limbo.
A split image of Iris Kessler's strikingly similar cats, Voodoo and Limbo.
@iriskessler/@iriskessler
Voodoo was both an indoor and outdoor cat, announcing his comings and goings by meowing at doors and windows. "Sometimes he'd leave for a couple of days and come back a changed man," Kessler recalled. Over the years, he developed glaucoma in his right eye, turning it a "really cool silver color," and sustained a chipped ear, likely from a fight during one of his outdoor excursions.
"He was my best friend my whole life growing up," she said. Voodoo passed away naturally in Kessler's father's arms at sunrise on Friday the 13th, just after her high school graduation. "It felt like a very Voodoo thing to do."
Four years later, Kessler had just moved into a new apartment for her senior year of college and was struggling with loneliness. That's when she saw a black cat sunbathing on her porch.
"I noticed black cats everywhere I go because of Voodoo," she said. But when she approached this one, she was stunned: "I immediately recognized that he had the same clouded eye and chipped ear as Voodoo."
While the ear chip on this new cat came from a neuter-release program, the resemblance was undeniable.
"I had never seen another cat with the eye like Voodoo had, and something about that combined with the same ear chip hit me like a ton of bricks."
She named him Limbo, saying he was "always in limbo between if he wanted to be pet or not."
Limbo had more white fur than Voodoo, which Kessler interpreted as a symbol: "It felt like he had more white because he was more angelic, because he was on his second life."
Over the next few months, Kessler gradually befriended Limbo until, fittingly, on Halloween, he walked into her home for good.
A vet confirmed that he was a male cat, around seven or eight years old—unusually old for a stray. "He had had a tough life so I was ready and excited to provide him a bit of respite," she added.
In a bizarre twist, Limbo started using the toilet like a human. "I hadn't taught him to do this. I don't know how he figured it out, but for the rest of his life, he did that."
Kessler eventually decided to move back to her hometown and planned to bring Limbo with her. However, just as the move was set to begin, Limbo's health suddenly declined.
A midnight emergency vet visit revealed fluid in his lungs and irreversible damage from life as a stray. "While this was incredibly heartbreaking, there was an element of it that reminded me of the poetic timing of Voodoo's passing," she said.
She chose to stay by Limbo's side as he was put down.
His ashes now sit in a box engraved with the phrase: "A friend when I had none." "Because that's truly what he was," she said.
"I feel really lucky to get to have experienced this—whatever it is. Whether it's reincarnation, or two random cats, or me being silly," Kessler reflected.
"People shouldn't be embarrassed or ashamed of how deeply their pets have impacted them and how much they wish they could see them again," she added.
TikTok users were quick to agree.
"You just fully made me believe in reincarnation, baby that is YOUR CAT," one commenter wrote.
"When one cat mom cries we all cry," said a user named Chlo.
"I've never seen almost solid proof of reincarnation or soulmates but this is it. This gives me hope that life actually means something again," added another user, Sean.
"This wrecked me," said another.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [e-mail] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.