Cat Who Won Hearts When Lost For 5 Weeks Dies Peacefully At Home

HAMPTON BAYS, NY — A beloved cat who touched hearts far and wide when he was found after being missing for more than five weeks — and greeted his owner with a series of relieved "meows" — has died, peacefully and at home, surrounded by love.

It was a joyful reunion in August, 2021 as a missing cat, Whisper, was found safe after being lost for more than a month.

Whisper, a declawed house cat not used to being outside, went missing July 26, 2021 near the Shinnecock Animal Hospital — on Montauk Highway and Gravel Hill Road in Hampton Bays — when the bottom of the carrier he was in broke. Far from their home in Southampton, his owner Lois Beekman was terrified he would never be able to find his way back to her.

But through sheer grit and a dose of faith — as well as the tireless efforts of Teddy Henn of Missing Angels Long Island and his teammate, Charmaine DeRosa — Whisper was saved.

"It's unbelievable," Beekman said at the time. "I'm thrilled."

However, this February, Beekman told Patch, Whisper died, "flying to heaven."

Describing the feline who changed her life, Beekman said: "Whisper was a uniquely intelligent cat. One could see it in his eyes, his reactions, and actions. I met him during his first year of his life in the waiting room of the office of the animal hospital I was using at that time. We connected immediately. I was drawn in by his remarkable eyes."

Beekman said she had not been planning to add another pet to her crew, "but something whispered in my mind and soul and I instantly decided to adopt him. In the 16-plus years he was part of my life, I never knew when or where he was born, nor did the vet who placed him in his front office for adoption. "

Describing Whisper, Beekman said he had a unique sense of alertness. "He knew every predictable sound in the night and if there was any noise out of the ordinary, he would wake me, so we could listen together, and I could check it out, if need be. He also had a sense for things he could not see from the inside of the house in the upstairs area where he hung out and slept in my bedroom. Over the years, there have been friendly outdoor cats I will feed on the back porch. He would let me know when he knew they were waiting. And make it clear I was to feed them — but he never saw them or could smell them."

His communication technique showed his intelligence, Beekman said. "If we were both awake, he would stare at me and somehow without a sound what he was thinking came in to my mind like a whisper. If we were both up, he would do one meow with emphasis. Over time, we established a meow-meow language we both understood."

In fact, when Whisper was found, he meowed in a way that all present know he recognized his owner and was overjoyed to be found. (See video below).

If Beekman was asleep at night, she said, Whisper had a series of consistent steps he took to wake her if he believed it was important.

"They went from an oh-so-gentle tap to a firmer tap, and if that did not do it he used his teeth to pull my hair — at first, gently and then, as long and as firmly as it took to get my attention."

Whisper was fastidious, she added. "He let me know if the litter had been used by him or a companion and wanted it cleaned immediately if I was there. He came to know that the bed was remade on Sunday. He would sit politely in a particular spot in my bedroom and stare to let me know it was time to make it. He let me know how he wanted two pillows stacked at the top of the bed, so he could survey his domain."

After Whisper was found at the end of summer, 2021, Beekman said he returned to his position of “leader of his pack”— with her companion cats Ghost and Blu and herself — "and we continued as if he had never been missing."

But recently, during the holiday season, Beekman began to notice a change in his behavior. "His stride was just a bit off. It got worse and he lost the use of his back legs and was diligently flopping around. I called the truly 'inspired' vet Teri Meekins and we started a routine of medication that enabled him to carry on and return to his routine, for the most part."

About five weeks ago, Whisper established a new routine that included preferring to spend the day in one of two baskets with soft pillows that one of the other cats liked to rest in from time to time, Beekman said.

"He made it clear it was his and used it for his daytime rests," she said.

It was clear that Whisper was having trouble walking and jumping, but he continued to get up to the bed until nine days "before he was ready to fly off to heaven," she said.

"The last night of his journey here, he dragged his frail self to the bed and made it clear he wanted to be lifted up to join me and the other two cats. We all managed to sleep for a few hours at a time.
Although, he no longer could purr, he did move his head from side to side, so I would gently brush his cheeks and chin at various times through the night — something he taught me to do that he loved."

And then, came their final good-bye. "He passed on with some loving help from Dr. Teri Meekins on my bed with us both stroking him gently," Beekman said.

There were signs, she said, that made Whisper's passing special.

"Something about Whisper’s uniquely long back legs always reminded of my dad, who passed away in 1974," Beekman said. "Sadly, I was not present when my dad died unexpectedly in another state — however, at the exact time of his passing, I felt a strong breeze engulf me on that still day. All the people I knew on my dad’s side of the family were born in February. I was born on the 3rd, his mom, my nana, on the 7th, and my dad himself on the 12th — he had Lincoln as a middle name."

Beekman said she always felt Whisper would leave in February and select a memorable day. "I tend to have a bit of what can be called “second sight” — the same thing that made me know Whisper was alive when he was lost in 2021," she said. "And remarkably, he selected the perfect holiday - President’s Day, that originated to honor George Washington and has evolved to remind us of those leaders who demonstrated the most morality in their leadership roles."

Beekman added that Whisper chose the perfect day to begin his next chapter. "A time to honor his life and all he gave to me and other pet companions! I was looking for a photo to frame for a candlelight celebration I set up for Whisper the evening he passed and somehow as I scrolled through photos on my phone, one taken just before he got sick kept popping up. It does not show his magnificent stature, fluffy coat and splendid feathery tail. It is all eyes. When you walk by it in its frame or look on a phone or computer screen, the eyes follow you from side to side just like the Mona Lisa."

Her voice full, she added. "Whisper certainly was a 'masterpiece.'"

When Whisper went missing, Beekman was devastated. "We are family," she told Patch. "I have had 23 cats in my life over 76 years, but this is the smartest. He is wise. He is affectionate. He knows what I'm thinking. He's my soul mate."

A grateful Beekman was determined to shower her Whisper with love. "He made it through this," she said. "He deserves the best."

And the best he received, until his last day, where he died safe and loved after his owner's determined quest to find him and bring him home.

( A video of the joyful reunion in 2021 between Whisper and his loving owner).