Poll Vault: Do you have a heartwarming animal story to share?

Let me tell you a story about a cat named Comiskey.

He's 7 years old and lives at my father's law office downstate. He has a gorgeous black coat with white fur on his paws and lower legs. He looks like he's wearing white socks, hence his name.

My dad has a pet door in the back of his office, so Comiskey can come and go as he pleases. On Aug. 7 he went — and didn't come back.

My father and his secretary, Bertie, were crushed. (Callie, the other office cat, didn't seem to care, but she's not the sentimental type.) They made posters, searched the neighborhood and called the animal shelter, with no luck. After a few weeks, they gave up hope.

Fast forward to Monday morning.

When my dad arrived at work, he heard meowing in the kitchen and assumed it was Callie. But, lo and behold, it was Comiskey, who had let himself back in via the pet door nearly 4 months after he disappeared.

Dad says the cat is thinner and his coat is less sleek, but otherwise he seems healthy.

When asked where he's been and what he's been doing, Comiskey declined to comment and made himself comfortable in my dad's desk chair.

Have you ever had a lost pet make a surprising return? Do you have any tales of uncanny compassion or animal heroism? Let's hear your heartwarming stories.