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CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio (WJW) – If cats really do have 9 lives, this 5-year-old cat named Squishy has used at least one of them.

It was back on August 7th, Chelsea Berkowitz of San Antonio, Texas was on a road trip with her brother and little Squishy in tow, driving through Northeast Ohio, heading to school in Massachusetts, when she decided to stretch her legs near Beaver Marsh, inside the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

“I had Squishy’s little harness, and so I just wanted to let her roll around in the grass for a few minutes.  I’m not sure if something startled her or she was just not wanting to be in the harness, but she backed out of it.”

The domestic shorthair fell into a canal. After searching for several hours, Chelsea says she had no other choice but to leave without her beloved fur baby.

But she never gave up hope; searched lost and found social media pages for pets in our area…complete strangers even putting up fliers.

Then last Saturday, after 20 days, someone spotted Squishy in the same area she was last seen.

“She FaceTimed and showed me, because squish has some distinctive marks, especially on her little front leg and she showed me and I said, ‘Yup, it’s her.’”

Her rescuer gave her water and food. Chelsea traveled halfway back for the reunion.

Squishy was exhausted, dehydrated and hungry but is now back with her owner, who now has a message to everyone who helped in the search.

“There’s amazing people out there and this has restored my hope in humanity.”