Family mourned their missing cat for 3 months after she vanished — until a glimpse through the neighbor’s window revealed the unthinkable

Pets are often considered part of the family, and when they go missing, it can be an emotional and unsettling experience. For one pet owner in the U.K., the disappearance of her cat led to a shocking discovery three months later. Joanne Goffey’s (@joanneherboys) journey to find her missing cat took an unexpected turn, leading to an intense confrontation with a neighbor.

As reported by Newsweek, in early April 2025, Goffey's youngest cat, Luco, vanished from her home. Despite the difficult circumstances, she tried to remain hopeful, thinking Luco had simply wandered off and would return soon. The family continued to search for Luco, but there was no sign of her. But as Goffey told the outlet, “We never thought the neighbor had her the whole time,” 

Three months later, Goffey's other cat, Willow, went missing. Her husband, Marshall, chased after her and encountered the neighbor, who casually mentioned having "a new cat." But the cat looked oddly familiar to Marshall. When Luco heard his voice, she appeared at the window. "He said that looks like Luco and came straight home to me and told me. So, I put my shoes on and went straight over there," Goffey recalled. She realized Luco had been across the road all along.

The confrontation was tense. Goffey recorded the exchange on video for reference. In it, she can be heard telling the neighbor, “She’s still registered to us, and she’s still microchipped to me.” Despite the evidence, the neighbor begged her not to take the cat back, repeatedly asking her to leave Luco with them. Goffey calmly responded, “I’m so sorry to do this to you, but she’s our cat.”

To her surprise, the neighbor’s emotional plea seemed manipulative. “They had no regard for us missing Luco, and no regard for my autistic child, and no empathy for our other pets, who are all family. They only cared about themselves and their cat,” Goffey said. Though the neighbor’s insistence continued, Goffey was able to bring Luco back home. The video of the confrontation, shared on TikTok, quickly went viral, amassing millions of views and thousands of likes. The TikTok community praised her for standing her ground and for staying calm throughout the ordeal. “Lots of people are proud of us for taking action. I think people are more educated on the laws around stealing cats now, and lots of owners feel confident in taking action against catnappers,” Goffey noted.

While the neighbors have continued to argue that Luco belongs to them, Goffey is just relieved to have her cat back. Luco has settled in comfortably at home and reunited with Willow, blissfully unaware of the drama that unfolded. Despite ongoing tensions, Goffey hopes this situation can be put to rest. She continues to share updates on TikTok, explaining, "If I call the police, the police would hand her over to me. She's registered to our address; she came originally from Manchester." She even shares how the neighbors came to their house threatening, and she was eventually forced to involve the police. "They are gonna be speaking to Petlog, they are going to be speaking to the pet vet," she shared in another update. But she is glad that the cat is quite clearly theirs from the evidence submitted to the police.

For further cat updates, follow @joanneherboys on TikTok.