The incredible moment a family was reunited with their beloved cat who had been missing for several weeks has left the internet sobbing after the footage went viral.
Stella Grand, 19, and her family were devastated when 13-year-old Nebula (nicknamed Nebsy) went missing on November 8, 2025. She’s always been an outdoor cat, but while Grand was away on a trip, Nebula just stopped coming home.
Nebula had never been away from home for more than two nights in the past, but Grand told Newsweek that she suspected the cat was “trying to find” her. Unfortunately, when Grand returned from her trip, the cat was nowhere to be found.
“We weren’t sure how to feel; my family and I could feel that she was alive but were terrified we wouldn’t find her,” Grand, of the Southern Gulf Islands, said. “Nebsy has a bit of separation anxiety from me. I’ve been on trips away from home before, but this time I guess it was too much for her.”
The family searched for Nebula and even worked with the local Cat Rescue Society to spread the word. On Christmas Eve, Grand saw a comment on Facebook from a nearby resident who claimed to have seen Nebula in their heated cat condo. After reviewing the camera footage, Grand confirmed it was in fact Nebula and began scouring the area.
She and her family planned to set up a trap, only to receive a call from a nearby family who had seen the cat in their field. Grand, her mom and older sister split up and continued the search on foot.
“About an hour in, my family recommended that we just set up the trap and pick her up when she’s in it. I said no because I wasn’t ready to leave. About 45 minutes later, my mom was able to get close enough for Nebsy to recognize her, and she started reluctantly coming closer. Then she recognized me and started running towards us,” Grand continued.
Almost seven weeks after she went missing, Nebula was found around 3.4 miles away from where the family was staying.
Grand shared footage of the moment she reunited with her childhood cat on TikTok (@ste11anebu1a) and the clip went viral with over 1.9 million views and 1,300 likes at the time of writing.
Nebula was “pretty scratched up” when she was found, had lost a lot of weight but was also bloated from getting worms. Thankfully, she has healed incredibly well since being rescued and slept for almost two days straight when she came back.
“It was indescribable, we were all in shock when we found her. I felt like all the pain of missing her completely flipped into the most profound relief I’ve ever experienced. She has healed beautifully and is more relaxed now than she has ever been,” Grand told Newsweek.
The family is so grateful for the support they received from the Cat Rescue Society and the local community. It was a team effort that enabled them to reunite with Nebula and spend Christmas with her. Indeed, the volunteers refused the $200 reward that the Grand family offered, as they said it was “rewarding enough” to see Nebula home again. The family donated the money to the Cat Rescue Society instead as gratitude for the pivotal role they played in spreading the word.
Social media users have been so touched by the heartwarming reunion between Grand and Nebula, leading to more than 1,300 comments on the TikTok video already.
One comment reads: “Her pupils are so big, she was so happy.”
Another TikTok user wrote: “The relief in your face, omg I know weight was lifted off your shoulders.”
While another person replied: “Of course it’s a tuxedo cat, he’s planning his next escape.”
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