Cat Who Went Missing After Owner's Death Found Safe In Greenport

GREENPORT, NY — Just days after his owner died suddenly, her beloved cat went missing in Greenport — but has now been found safe and is back in the arms of her loving circle of friends.

According to Alex (who asked that his last name not be used) he and his girlfriend took in Tino after Rita Stathis, a registered nurse and co-owner of Wego Tackle in Southold, died this week.

They opened their hearts and home to Tino, hoping to surround him with love after the sudden loss; they brought him from Southold to stay with them in Greenport.

But on Tuesday, Tino ran out of the Stirling Cove Condominiums into a backyard on Central Avenue in Greenport. "He was last seen at the end of Central Avenue Tuesday night," Alex said. "We know he is around the area."

And on Wednesday morning, Tino had his happy ending, said Rita's dear friend Ashley Price. A nurse posted on social media that she'd seen Tino sitting in their driveway, "just hanging," she said.

A group of friends, including her boyfriend Alex and Rita's friend Samantha Payne-Markel, hurried to save Tino, Ashley said.

"We flew up there. I am so relieved," Ashley said.

Ashley said she spent the night walking the streets in the rain, searching for the cat who'd meant everything to the friend she loved so much.

Tino, Alex said, was fast, running out more quickly than they could keep up. And then, he was lost in an area that he's unfamiliar with, Alex said. Friends were out searching for Tino all through the long hours of Tuesday night, their hearts aching at the thought of the cat, confused and alone in the heavy rain.

Alex, who has a cat of his own, was devastated. "I’m hoping he has a little hiding spot and is watching us look for him, from there," he said.

Rita, he added, loved her cat dearly, and had him for some time. And in the face of her unthinkable loss, Alex was on a quest to find her cat Tino and bring him home safely. "It's just a matter of catching him," he said.

Ashley was overwhelmed with relief to have Tino back safely. "The power of social media," she said. "Thank God, something good happened today."