Wake Up, Kaden!

Now for some breaking news from The Portland Press Herald. Kaden the cat, missing from his home for three weeks, has been returned safe and sound after his family placed a full- page ad in the local newspaper.

Kaden is one tired cat. The article mentions his sleepiness on three separate occasions, and his owner Katherine Smith also gave it as the reason why he was unavailable to visit with the reporter.

1. "He's very tired," Smith said, explaining why Kaden couldn't see any visitors Wednesday afternoon.

2. Kaden gave his distinctive cry when the Smiths arrived, and again when he got home. After getting a checkup from the vet, he conked out on the bed.

3. "They are very excited to have him home tonight," Smith said of her two young daughters. But the family also was doing its best to let him rest, she said.

Also, check out the picture accompanying the article. Damn, Kaden. Open your peepers for a minute!

Anyway, it's still nice that the town came together to try to find Kaden after the ad was placed.

"Smith said her family got a steady stream of calls from people who said they were looking for Kaden or wanted to know if he had been found. "We went out walking and we could actually hear people calling for Kaden. It was just very, very nice," she said."

Aww!

The local family that eventually found Kaden never would have known he was missing if not for the full-page ad, which the article speculates could have cost upwards of $9,000 (The Smith family says it was worth every penny to get him back). In another surprising twist that will be sure to pull on your heart-strings, Kaden's rescuers would not accept the $500 reward money, and merely requested a picture of him in return. The Smith family is going to donate the reward to a local group that helps stray cats.

I love a story with a happy ending!