Couple house-sitting friend’s 4 cats were relieved when the missing one was found — until a week later, when the count mysteriously rose to 5

Their neighborhood was kind enough to help the couple, while the woman's co-workers also joined the search after work.

PUBLISHED 2 HOURS AGO

(L) A couple embracing cat outdoors, (R) Man surrounded by cats. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L)Jenny Gaulitz, (R) Nisian Hughes)

A couple was happy to house-sit their friend’s four cats while she was away for a few days. Caring for four felines is no child’s play, and this couple was soon out on a cat-hunt after one of the cats went missing in Northville, New York. The entire neighborhood joined in on the search and soon found the missing cat named Nemo wandering outside. Relieved, the couple took him back home, but another surprise awaited them as the cat count had mysteriously grown to five.

Banner with the announcement of the missing cat hanging on a tree in the park.(Representative Image Source: Getty Images | StockSeller_ukr) — Poster of the missing cat hanging on a tree in the park. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | StockSeller_ukr)

According to the reports published on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, Jasmine Johnson and Dylan Laport were looking after the four cats at the Fulton County home while their owner was away. Nemo seemed to have escaped their attention and the house when the cat tally suddenly fell to three. Determined to find him, the couple launched a search after receiving a tip from a neighbor that the black cat was spotted outside. “We went to the house, searched all over the place, and tore the place apart, and could not find the cat, so we were like, it must have actually gotten out,” Laport told WNYT News.

Four cats sleeping on sofa. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Gary Holgate)

Their neighborhood was kind enough to help the couple, while Johnson’s co-workers also joined the search after work. Around six people spread across the town looking for Nemo until neighbor Kelly Aleschus managed to get hold of the escaped feline. However, there was still some confusion. “Then I sat down, and I’m like, ‘honey, that kind of looked like Sydney.’ But not thinking because he’s an indoor cat,” Aleschus recalled. Soon after the couple took the cat home, they noticed he was acting strangely. “He would come up into our room and lie [sic] on us and sleep on us too. And we were very confused as to why there was such a change in the personalities,” Johnson noted.

Search and rescue teams looking at missing person poster. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by Ron Lach) — Search and rescue teams looking at missing person poster. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Ron Lach)

The difference in his personality struck her until the day she caught five cats staring at her inside the home. Johnson realized there was an error in the cat rescue as they had mistakenly stolen somebody’s cat. “We had an extra one, and Nemo never got out in the first place, so we had cat-napped a cat. By accident,” she quipped. When the owner, Rachel Jones, was informed about her five cats, she was not impressed. “I do not need five cats. I don’t really need four cats, but here we are,” she expressed. Before the couple could figure out whose cat the extra one really was, the neighbor who found Nemo was sulking about her own missing cat, Sydney.

A woman holding a black cat. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images)

When Aleschus stumbled on the post about a cat seeking its owner, she quickly recognized Sydney and contacted the couple. There had been an honest mistake because of the great resemblance Nemo and Sydney shared. “Unbelievable. I still can’t believe I gave my own cat away. I sit back and I think every single day!” Aleschus admitted. The hilarious debacle left everyone in the neighborhood with a good laugh and grateful for their helpful and kind community.