Houston man takes money out of his 401k to give reward for lost cat’s return

Keith Hardin of Houston, Texas loves his cat, Dolly. So when someone broke into his apartment last December and Dolly was nowhere to be found, poor Keith was devastated. As he told KHOU Channel 11 News, “She’s just like a child. That’s the simplest way I could put it.”

Keith was unsure if she had been stolen or just let loose by the thieves who had broken into his home. Either way, he was determined to find her. He first put up flyers around his neighborhood, offering a modest reward that he kept upping, reaching $1,000 in February. With March approaching and Dolly having been missing, Keith decided to up the ante. Including a generous donation from a coworker, Keith dipped into his 401k and raised his reward to $5,000.

At first, it seemed this story would have a tragic ending. A person called Mr. Hardin to let him know they found the deceased remains of a cat that resembled Dolly. Keith thought it was her, so he had the remains cremated and started move on. But, as KHOU reported, it was the wrong cat.

He got a call this weekend from someone who said she found Dolly near Keith’s home. If you’re hoping that the cat was just given back without a reward being taken, calm down on that optimism – Keith paid up. He doesn’t seem to regret giving away so much money, though, he said his well-financed efforts haven’t come without criticism. He said his mom thought he was “absolutely nuts to spend that much money on a cat.”

In other missing cats being found news, a New Hampshire woman was reunited with “Fuzzy” after an astonishing four years apart. Earlier in the month, Reddit user Filmingow expressed delight after “Priscilla” returned after five years being gone.

More info: KHOU