Mow Mow’s miraculous return!
Kilcommon resident Don O’Connor lost his wife Shirley to a prolonged illness some weeks ago, but his grief - and that of his family - was partially allayed by the extraordinary return of their pet cat, Mow Mow, who had been missing for nine weeks.
The story behind Mow Mow’s return is both astonishing and deeply touching, so much so Don felt it was right to share it publicly.
Mow Mow the cat had been in Don and Shirley’s care for several years, having essentially been taken in by Shirley, who had a natural affinity with animals which she displayed continuously throughout her life.
An impromptu visit to the vet in Nenagh ultimately turned into a disaster when the cat, out of his natural habitat, panicked and bolted. In a flash he was gone, as Don recounts.
“Of course, as soon as I saw the cat running, I ran after him, but he was gone. The last I saw of the cat he was in the middle of the road in Nenagh, just there outside A Country Practice vets, dodging traffic, because traffic was coming both ways. So, we were distraught.”
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There followed an intense social media campaign, but no trace of the cat could be found and the prospects of him returning looked increasingly bleak. Shirley, who had been growing increasingly unwell throughout this time, was not fully aware of the cat’s escape.
In early October her health declined further, and then one evening, some nine weeks after the cat’s departure, Shirley lost consciousness while sitting on a chair in the living room. Don says that at that exact moment, Mow Mow reappeared, having apparently journeyed a distance of 30km - from Nenagh to Kilcommon.
“She went unconscious, and then I looked to my left, and the cat appeared on the windowsill at the very same time. Now she had an enormous affinity with all animals. There was a fox that she insisted on feeding, she had flocks of birds in the morning that she would feed, then there was the cat, and there was also a horse which she looked after during one of those bad winters. She was an enormously empathetic person, in general, but particularly with animals.”
There was universal delight at the cat’s reemergence. Don’s granddaughter, Líle - who had christened the cat Mow Mow - was thrilled, as were his daughters Naomi and Ruth. Sadly however, several days afterwards, Shirley passed away in Milford Hospice. Don says she died “with a smile on her face” and “at peace”. Some moments after her death, as he and his two daughters were leaving the hospice, he says that a butterfly appeared in the doorway.
“We walked out of the hospice, and as we walked out the front door, I saw my daughter swatting away something from her face. So, I said what was that? And she said that a butterfly had flown into her face.”
Butterflies are often associated with rebirth, and are also said to represent happiness, joy and hope. The meaning was not lost on Don, who believes that the return of the cat, allied with the presence of the butterfly, were both symbols of Shirley’s enduring love for animals, and were more than just a coincidence.
“There are things that happen that you can’t explain. There is something else there.”