Savannah Seymour couldn’t hold back the tears.
Around 4 p.m. Sunday, her beloved cat, Leah, escaped from a car while her mother stopped at McDonald’s on the far east side of Seymour to get food to go.
Her mother had her dog in the front seat of the car and the cat was in the back while transporting them from Louisville, Kentucky, to Wisconsin, where Seymour recently moved.
Seymour said her mother left a car window cracked while she went into the restaurant, and the cat apparently got out. It wasn’t until Seymour’s mother arrived at her new home in Wisconsin that she realized the cat was missing.
Seymour said the cat wasn’t in a carrier because it cries the whole time it’s inside one and typically stays in the seat while traveling.
Leah means a lot to Seymour because she was an anniversary gift from her boyfriend five years ago. A couple of months after they went to pick up Leah and another cat, her boyfriend died from complications with asthma.
"She’s just so sweet, and when he passed away, she was there for me. My dad died four months later, and she was there for me. It was a really hard year," Seymour said. "She follows me around everywhere. She’s my sweet girl."
Leah is a calico cat with orange, black and white fur, including mostly white hair on her belly, and green eyes. She has a black stripe above her right eye, and her left ear is tipped. Seymour was able to describe Leah while looking at a tattoo of her on her arm.
She has called local animals shelters, police stations and animal clinics, and they all said they would keep an eye out for Leah.
On Thursday, she posted on the Seymour, Indiana Pet Lost and Found Facebook page with information and a photo of Leah. That same day, her mother, brother and sister returned to Seymour to look for Leah.
Seymour said people have told her they thought they saw Leah near Taco Bell, Arby’s and Motel 6. One place put food and water out in hopes of attracting Leah.
Seymour said her mother is just as devastated about Leah escaping as she is.
"I know she feels bad, but she still lives in Louisville, so she’s going to go search again with my sister and brother," Seymour said.
She said Leah typically hides when she’s scared. She said her mother thought Leah may have hidden under the seat on the way to Wisconsin on Sunday. That’s why she didn’t realize she was gone until she arrived at her daughter’s home.
"The windows weren’t open very much," Seymour said. "She didn’t think that she would get out."
Since there have been a few sightings of Leah in the past couple of days, Seymour is hopeful she will reunite with her soon.
"Please help me bring my kitty home," she wrote in the Facebook post.
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Leah is a calico cat with orange, black and white fur, including mostly white hair on her belly, and green eyes. She has a black stripe above her right eye, and her left ear is tipped.
On Sunday, she escaped from a car while parked outside McDonald’s on the far east side of Seymour near the Interstate 65 interchange. She was being transported from Louisville, Kentucky, to Wisconsin.
If you spot her, call her owner, Savannah Seymour, at 502-417-9166.
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