On August 24, 2016, central Italy experienced a deadly 6.2 magnitude earthquake. The epicenter was roughly 65 miles northeast of Rome and left 4,000 people homeless and roughly 300 dead.

Dora, an elderly resident of the hard-hit town of Montemonaco, was one of the many people who lost their home. But Dora’s heartbreak didn’t end there. Her cat Mimmo went missing during the catastrophe as well.

Was he trapped in the rubble? Did he bolt out of fear? She didn’t know, but she never stopped looking for him and hoping that she would see him again.

We’ll never know where Mimmo was in the three and a half years he was missing but in a much-needed piece of good news from a region hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mimmo is now safe back at home.

On March 5th of this year, an acquaintance of Dora’s, Mimma Bei, posted videos and photos of the reunited duo on Facebook, one of which she captioned (in translation):

“After more than three years since the terrible earthquake, Dora (Montemonaco’s smile) and her friend Mimmo, found each other…
…. Great emotion dear friends…”

We don’t know much else about the circumstances, only that Mimmo appears to have decided to come home recently.

A video she posted of the two headbutting and greeting each other after years apart has already been viewed over 150,000 times on Mimma Bei’s Facebook page alone.

Their tearful reunion has drawn comments from all over the world, especially among those of us who need a bit of good news right now.

The photos show the orange tabby perched up at eye level with his owner and showing great affection and she greets him in a similar fashion.

They both look so relieved to be together – and Dora’s smile can’t help but warm your heart. Mimmo looks genuinely thrilled to be getting such attention – after all, we don’t know the last time he got some love.

Mimmo certainly isn’t the first pet to get spooked and go missing during a natural disaster.

No one knows how far Mimmo ran or if someone took him in or he just became lost. But when he returned home he looked well-fed and appeared to be in good health.

Even if Mimmo has been living it up all this time, he still looks pleased to be home and reunited with his owner – not all cats are this affectionate!

Mimmo does appear to have a little scratch across his face, perhaps from a fight with another cat if he spent some time on the streets, but it looks like it’s on its way to healing up well.

Cats have an innate sense of direction, so it’s not clear if Mimmo perhaps spent some of the last three and a half years with other humans who may have made him a housecat and interfered with his ability to find his way home. It’s also unknown if Dora is living in the same place as she originally called home after it was damaged during the earthquake.

There are so many possibilities, but it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever know where Mimmo went during that time or what he went through.

Needless to say, we’re just glad to see him back home where he belongs with an owner who loves him very much.

Be sure to scroll down below to see both of the heartwarming videos taken recently in Italy.

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Source: BBC News, Mimma Bei via Facebook
h/t The Dodo