An injured cat's reunion with her family began when Middletown, New York, resident Joe Valentin stopped to help an animal he originally mistook for dead. The cat was lying in the middle of a New York roadway before getting up and running into the path of his vehicle.
Here's what to know
A sudden movement as Valentin left a strip mall made him turn back to help the cat he had noticed on his way in. The encounter happened on Route 211 in Middletown on October 31, 2026, according to ABC7 New York.
"I turned around, stopped, she was still breathing. She still had some fight in her. She hissed at me a couple of times," Valentin said.
Valentin covered the bill for veterinarian Scott Quick's treatment of the injured cat, whom he had taken home on Oct. 31, 2026.
A substantial wound on the cat's left flank and a cut near the lower-right side of her jaw were among the injuries Quick found. The cat also had extensive bruising.
Losing two of his own pets in 2026 made helping the cat especially personal for Valentin. He said his love of animals dates back to childhood; his mother runs Catskill Animal Rescue Shelter.
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"It kind of gave me a bit of a soft spot because I was like, 'I've seen so much horrible things this year,'" Valentin said.
What's being done?
Valentin's wife used her experience as a veterinary technician to care for the cat at home, feeding her with a syringe, ABC7 reported.
For the owner, an unusual orange marking on the cat's head was the clue. Valentin shared information on social media to see whether anyone was missing her, and the marking caught her owner's attention.
Summer is expected to make a full recovery after veterinary treatment and care from the couple, according to ABC7. The cat returned to her family after her owner came forward.
"It wasn't something that I feel like I went above and beyond. It was just, you know, it felt natural," Valentin said.
Where can I learn more?
These stories follow trapped and injured cats, a long-awaited homecoming, and a couple facing emergency veterinary costs.
• New York's 'Catman' freed a cat trapped upside-down behind a wall for five days.
• In British Columbia, a wildfire-rescued cat with burned paws and singed whiskers found family through Instagram.
• A Connecticut family's cat came home after 571 days, thanks to a New York post.
• In California, a cat pulled unconscious from a van fire was revived on oxygen and returned home.
• A Pennsylvania couple agreed to a $9,500 bill before knowing whether their cat would survive.
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