A woman in western Massachusetts says she is heartbroken after a priceless family memento went missing.
A stuffed tabby cat toy, with white paws and a white face, was accidentally donated to a thrift store, and Mary Kirk, of Agawam, is now calling on whoever bought it to return it.
“It’s not the cat, it’s the fact that my father had bought the cat for my 22-year-old son when he was little,” she said.
Kirk’s son was her father’s only grandson, and they had a special bond, she said. Not only did she name her son after her father, but she gave him his last name to carry on.
When her father passed in March 2018, Kirk said she put some of his ashes into a small bottle and put it inside the stuffed cat, so her father would always be with her son.
The precious memento was accidentally donated to Savers by Kirk’s husband. She said it must have happened when they donated old items they gathered in preparation for their move south.
Kirk says she has been in touch with Savers all week and employees are keeping their eye out for the cherished toy.
“If it has been sold, nobody knows what they have,” she said.
The family is offering a $225 reward for the return of the stuffed cat.