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A Family Feared Their Cat Was Lost Forever. Then She Rang the Doorbell. You never know who's going to buzz your Ring in the middle of the night.

By Jonathan Small

When the Whitley family moved to a new neighborhood in Mastic Beach, New York, they had one big concern: Would their cat 8-year-old cat Lily adjust?

"I was really nervous about bringing her to a new area with how she would react," Stephanie Whitley told local news station PIX-11.

Then her worst fears came true. Lily went missing.

Usually, the little grey outdoor kitty came home at the end of the day, but when she didn't return for four days, "I didn't think that Lily was coming home," Whitley said.

Just when they had given up hope of seeing Lily again, the Whitleys were awoken by their Ring in the middle of the night. At first, they were startled to get a surprise visitor that late. But when they looked at the front door video feed on their Alexa device, concern turned to joy.

It was Lily.

In the video, Lilly puts her paws on the camera and meows a few times, alerting her family that she's home.

"We all gasped. We were laughing. We were emotional. We were crying. It was a great moment," Whitley said.

A voice on the video says, "Oh My God, did you get a recording of that?"

Yes. Lily made sure of it.

Jonathan Small

Entrepreneur Staff

Founder, Strike Fire Productions

Jonathan Small is a bestselling author, journalist, producer, and podcast host. For 25 years, he has worked as a sought-after storyteller for top media companies such as The New York Times, Hearst, Entrepreneur, and Condé Nast. He has held executive roles at Glamour, Fitness, and Entrepreneur and regularly contributes to The New York Times, TV Guide, Cosmo, Details, Maxim, and Good Housekeeping. He is the former “Jake” advice columnist for Glamour magazine and the “Guy Guru” at Cosmo.

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