Here's a sad (yet somewhat strange) tale: a couple is suing a Marriott Residence Inn in Long Island after one of their 17 (!!!!!17!!!!) cats went missing when they stayed there over the summer.

According to a lawsuit filed in court this week, Jeffrey and Shoshanna Johnson brought all 17 (!!!!!17!!!!) of their cats to Central Islip's Marriott Residence Inn in July, planning to fly the whole gang from JFK to their new home in Israel. But one of these 17 (!!!!!17!!!!) cats, a 2-year-old feline named Cotton, managed to escape from the pack, and the Johnsons were unable to locate her before their flight left.

Then, apparently, the hotel's manager found Cotton and brought the little kitteh to her boyfriend's house, telling the Johnsons via email, "No worries. I don’t know where she is though. She has been hiding somewhere. I just put food out ... she ate them last night." But Cotton disappeared again, according to the suit, sliding behind a wall, hiding for nine days and running off for good.

The Johnsons are seeking $150,000 in damages, according to the suit. "It has been traumatic. She’s a really special cat," Jeffrey Johnson told the Post. Aside from losing Cotton, the Johnsons, who reportedly have A TOTAL OF 31 CATS, also allegedly had to pay $460 for the two nights Cotton lived in their hotel room without them. They're also angry that the hotel manager took the cat home instead of bringing her to a veterinarian, which is what they instructed her to do.

As for the lost kitteh, she's still out there somewhere, presumably scampering free along the Long Island Expressway. "I absolutely believe Cotton is still alive, living in the wild," Jeffrey Johnson told the Daily News. Poor, poor Cotton.