"You want to see?"
A delighted Avishka Kaumadi turns the video on for us, showing us the fluffy Ginger cat sitting on her lap, in the car as they head for a vet check-up.
After ten days of anxiety and sleepless nights, Kaumadi’s ordeal is finally over. Her cat, who went missing at Dubai airport, is now with her in Sri Lanka.
“When I went up to him and spoke to him, he answered me in his own voice,” an overjoyed Kaumadi told Gulf News shortly after the reunion.
The relief is overwhelming. Chuuti, who went missing at Dubai International Airport on October 11, will now be home soon. Kaumadi has been sending us photos from the car: Chuuti gazing out of the window, then curled up and soaking in all the cuddles he missed.
“He is doing very well and seems very happy. He recognised me,” she said, barely able to contain her joy.
But the ordeal has taken a toll on Chuuti. “Poor thing, he has lost weight, because he hasn't been eating. We are on our way now to take him to the doctor for a check-up. He got very dirty, down in the baggage area, Terminal 1. He is very happy now.”
A happy Kaumadi struggles to put into words what it means to have Chuuti back. She is grateful to the officers who helped her and to the many rescue communities that kept watch for him. For days, UAE animal rescue platforms, including @UAEanimalrescue, had shared posts about Chuuti and appealed for any information on his whereabouts.
As she writes later in her Facebook post to Chuuti, "You had the entire Dubai looking out for you."
At present, the exact details of how the cat was found and where are not yet available.
'A piece of my heart'
The reunion marks the end of a long journey for Kaumadi, who had earlier described on social media platforms: “Chuuti is not just a pet to me. He is my beloved child, my family, and a piece of my heart. The days without him have been among the most painful of my life,” she wrote in an earlier Facebook post.
When Chuuti was located after 10 days, Kaumadi expressed her gratitude to SriLankan Airlines, dnata and Dubai International Airport for their efforts in finding him.
“Today, I am grateful that my beloved Chuuti has been found. Words cannot fully express the emotions I feel,” she wrote at the time, while awaiting his return to Sri Lanka.
She also thanked everyone who had shared her appeals, offered encouragement and supported her during the search.
“Every prayer, every message, every phone call, and every word of kindness gave me strength when I felt like I had none left,” she wrote.
How Chuuti went missing at Dubai airport
Kaumadi had been scheduled to fly from Dubai to Sri Lanka at 11pm on October 11, with Chuuti travelling as air cargo.
According to her earlier account to us, she had completed the necessary documentation, payments and inspection procedures before her cat was returned to his carrier.
However, after passing through immigration, she received a call informing her that Chuuti had escaped from his carrier.
Kaumadi immediately requested permission to return and help search for him.
“I clearly told him that I would not board the flight without my cat,” she had recalled.
She subsequently spent more than an hour searching the cargo area with a staff member, calling out to Chuuti in the hope that he would respond. The search proved unsuccessful, and she remained at the airport for approximately 28 hours, waiting for news.
She later returned to follow up on the search before eventually travelling to Sri Lanka, where she continued waiting for updates. As she explains, the airport staff had been keeping an eye out for the cat, putting food everywhere, in the hope of finding him.
After 10 days, she got news that the cat had been found and was now safe, and ready to come home.