Veteran reunites with long-lost cat in North Carolina

NEW BERN, NC (KTRK) -- A war veteran reunited with his long lost cat recently in North Carolina.

Former Marine Robert Connell reunited with Hemi the cat after four years and two thousand miles of separation, WNCT reports.

Hemi the cat was found by Craven Animal Services at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point last week.

Seeing Hemi for the first time, Connell said, "Geez, you look a little older and wiser."

Connell's wife Jennifer says when Robert previously deployed Hemi went looking for him and never returned home. After months of searching, the Connells moved to North Dakota without their beloved pet.

And then Hemi turned up last week. The cat was expected to fly to his new home in Bismarck, North Dakota, this week, but due to the recent snow storm, thousands of flights were canceled -- including Hemi's, meaning it would take a little longer for him to make it home.

But Connell decided Friday he would drive to New Bern to pick up Hemi.

Connell says Hemi was more than just a cat to him. "Before I had kids, the only thing I could connect to in life was a cat. ... He was like a person," Connell said.

Hemi, Connell says, listened to him as he struggled with PTSD. He recalled, "I never knew a cat would get attached to me, or I get attached to it."

Watch Hemi's full story in the video above.