UPDATE Hoboken Mom Searches For Lost Black Cat, Salem

HOBOKEN, NJ — UPDATE: The kitty has been found nearby! Thanks to all who searched.

Jessica Dyer, a Hoboken resident, says she's "distraught" now that her family's black cat, Salem, has disappeared. She's seeking help to find him.

"Salem has been with me since he was born in 2009," she said Thursday. "My mom’s cat had a litter, and he was one of them. Salem and I bonded right away. He was a little black fluff ball who liked to sleep in the crook of my neck. He grew to be a very large cat, at least 15 lbs."

She noted, "When I moved in with my then boyfriend, now husband Jeff, I brought Salem with me. He loved Jeff’s cat, Cupcake, who was a grumpy Himalayan that did not return the sentiment."

Despite the fact that the felines weren't a purr-fect match, Jessica said, "Salem is my baby, my best friend. He loves everyone ... He doesn’t mind if our daughter hugs him a little too hard."

But Salem also loves to run out the door of their apartment building on Sixth and Willow in central Hoboken, near the Stop & Shop supermarket. Dyer said that he must have slipped out some time around Monday.

"We have another black cat, his twin, so it took us some time to realize he wasn’t here," she said. "We think someone may have unintentionally let him outside, perhaps a mail carrier or food delivery person, because our neighbors in the building would’ve known him and would have let us know. He’s our fur-baby and we miss him and need him to come home."

This week, in another North Jersey lost pet story — a missing dog story in Jersey City with a happy ending — a volunteer with a Central Jersey pet finding group gave this advice:

• Microchip your pet with current contact info.
• Always call the chip company to confirm the chip is active and that they have the correct information on the account.
• Have your vet check for the chip at your pet's annual physical. Chips can often migrate.
• Get a collar with up-to-date tags and a license.

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