Pelu is a 7-year-old cat that his owner, Noelia, loves. But last September 21, as if he knew that spring had arrived, he escaped from the apartment where he lived. He didn't know this cat what his escape was going to trigger.
Noelia launched the search for Pelu. Immediately, her family, her friends, and even her co-workers joined her side. They filled the streets of a part of the Belgrano neighborhood from Avenida Del Libertador to almost Cabildo Avenue.
More than 500 posters with Pelu's face and a tempting figure for these times to find him: $350,000.
The two mobile phones that Noelia placed in the advertisement were overwhelmed by the hundreds of calls that came.
Noelia herself tells what happened: "Calls came from the most distant places. From La Boca, San Telmo, Villa Crespo, Parque Patricios, Olivos and even from provinces like Tucumán and Salta. In many cases they had the person in their possession. They believed it was Pelu and I went there, but always with negative results.
Pelu escaped through a hole in the balcony and by the traces of his paws they realized that he passed through other balconies until he disappeared into nothingness.
Noelia and her group did not give up. They put up more posters. Pelu's face was all over the Belgrano neighborhood. Businesses, light poles, trees, businesses, any authorized place had a sign with the search and the reward.
For a neighborhood resident like the one writing this note, it was exciting to see the love for an animal in small details: many of the notices were neatly glued inside sheets of paper, so that the rain would not damage them, or a scotch was used. special to avoid damaging the trees with bugs or nails.
Every day the signs were renewed and the calls kept coming, but Pelu did not appear.
This Saturday, October 7, the search came to an end. And Noelia tells it: "I would never have expected Pelu to escape. He lives with his mother and one of his sisters and they never left the apartment except to take one of the cats to a veterinary visit. In addition, he is neutered and has a calm nature ".
"On Friday they told me that they heard meowing in the garage, which is open 24 hours a day and has storage rooms. Every day I began my search there but to no avail. This time I settled in the garage to wait if the meowing arose."
"After a long time I heard the meows. They came from one of the closets. We opened them and there was Pelu. Very skinny but without injuries. We don't know what he ate or drank during these 16 days, but he is safe. Now a veterinarian will see him and he is with his mother and his sister."
Nobody took the reward, but Noelia, in addition to Pelu, received another gift: "The empathy of the people was wonderful. The merchants called me when someone broke a sign or they put it back up themselves. There was always a fabulous support from the people ".
Pelu awakened in people, in addition to the ambition of achieving $350,000, a sense of help. Selfless, kind, fabulous.
