A Christmas Reunion With Sunny the Cat

I noticed a announcement on Severna Park Patch by Heather Johnson with the headline "Ms. Madden of Riggs Ave., Severna Park" it read:

"Thank you so very much for the safe return of my niece's cat Sunny. We appreciate you taking such great care of him for the holidays, and are forever thankful for his return on Christmas Day. May the New Year bring you and your family and loved ones nothing but the best of everything!"                           Sincerely, Heather Johnson

Intrigued to find out more about Sunny, I emailed Heather's mother Vicky Johnson who responded to my inquiry about the Christmas reunion "Thank You" announcement. Here's the whole story behind Sunny's return home, thanks to a neighbor across the road:

"My granddaughter Haley has a cat named Sunny who started having seizures at a very young age. He has been on medication for the seizures so he is not allowed to go outside. Also, some of his seizures were very severe, and we believe that he has some brain damage and he has difficulty seeing as well. On Thursday night before Christmas he must have snuck out while my other granddaughter and her friend were coming into the house.

"Sunny has snuck out before and usually stays very close to home, so we kept walking around the neighborhood searching for him. Christmas Day my daughter Heather decided that it was time to put up flyers—it had been too long since he had had his medication.

"As soon as she walked in the door from placing the flyers around the neighborhood and down the bike trail we got a call: Sunny had been found! Apparently in the downpour Thursday night Sunny must have gotten confused and ended up going from our house on Lockleven Drive (the side with the elementary school), crossing Evergreen, and ended up down on Riggs avenue, way past the 

"Luckily Ms. Madden's son found Sunny and brought him to Ms. Madden's house where she kept Sunny until she saw the sign on Christmas Day. We are so thankful to Ms. Madden and her family for Sunny's return and for the wonderful care she gave him while he was 'visiting for the holidays.' He is doing great—and he is STILL trying to sneak out!!," wrote Vicky.

Editor's Note: This is what makes living in Severna Park such a great place—neighbors looking out for one another—and for Sunny the Christmas cat.