Doorbell Camera Captured the Moment Lost Cat Returned Home (Exclusive)

The joyful reunion of cat Kitters returning home after disappearing for more than a month was captured on the doorbell camera.

Ring shares emotional moment This year, one of the doorbell cameras was captured to celebrate National Cat Day on October 29.

The heartwarming incident occurred in April, a month after Kitters the cat disappeared from his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. According to Kitters’ owner Lauren, she and her other cat, Max, are indoor/outdoor felines, which means they are given access to the outside world throughout the day.

After taking Kitters out of the house earlier this year, Lauren noticed the cat wasn’t returning at the end of the day, which happens occasionally. Lauren and her family became worried about the cat when it didn’t show up for a week.

“We went everywhere and looked for her. We posted her information and pictures in neighborhood groups and on Facebook, hoping someone had seen her,” Lauren tells PEOPLE of Kitters’ disappearance.

After weeks went by without seeing Kitters, Lauren began to worry that something terrible had happened to her pet and she would never see him again.

“I was so upset that he hadn’t come home for weeks. I was thinking about him every day and was starting to lose hope. We took our cats outside, but he hadn’t been outside for over a week. I was worried,” says the pet’s parent.

Everything changed on April 10 when Lauren was about to walk away from her home when she noticed Kitters running towards the front door.

“I was absolutely shocked. I immediately stopped my car and followed him to the front door. I was so happy and relieved I started crying. I thought he was gone for good,” says Lauren.

Lauren caught up with the long-lost Kitters at the front door, triggering the Ring doorbell camera to start recording. This allowed Lauren and her family to capture the moment the cat came home.

In the clip, Lauren grabs Kitters from the front door area of ​​her Tulsa home and as she holds the pet close to her, Kitters begins to cry and screams, “Oh my God!” he repeats. Lauren then knocks on the front door several times to get her mother’s attention. When his mother opens the door and sees Kitters, the family embraces with joy.

“I didn’t even realize my Ring video doorbell was recording at that moment. When I saw the footage, I teared up and brought back all those emotions. It made me realize how grateful I was that he was home and how much I missed him,” Lauren says of the video.

The pet’s parent adds that Kitters returned without any visible injuries or problems; therefore, he believes someone may have been caring for the cat for several weeks, thinking it was a stray.

“To this day, we don’t know where he disappeared to. Since he came home healthy, we assume someone thought he was a stray and took him in. He must have been inside somewhere, otherwise he must have been inside somewhere.” it was just as invisible,” says Lauren.

Never miss a story — sign up PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter To stay up to date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling juicy stories.

These days, Kitters is still allowed to roam outside, but his family keeps a closer eye on him. They attached a GPS tag to his collar so they could always find him if he decided to wander away from home again.

“Kitters is doing great today. He’s happy and healthy when he’s home. We haven’t had any other problems since. We still take him out but we’re much more careful and aware of him now,” says Lauren.