A ginger cat missing for over 2 years has been reunited with his owner thanks to Friends of the Animals, microchipping, and a determined volunteer.
Staff at Friends of the Animals first spotted a cat wandering around their Riverway car park – unusual given the lack of nearby housing on the industrial estate. Having previously reunited “Riverway Bob” with his family after 11 months missing, the team hoped they might achieve another happy ending.
Trustee Ted set up an automatic trap over 5 nights. Although the suspected lost cat regularly appeared and ate from the front of the trap, it never stepped inside far enough to trigger it.
When the trap finally activated, it caught a surprise visitor: a fluffy ginger cat, underweight and dishevelled. Ted took him home for safety and scanned him for a microchip, quickly revealing a registered owner.
The owner, Doreen from Cowes, was stunned to receive the call – fearing her beloved cat had long since died.
The cat, named George and affectionately known as Ginge, had been missing for an astonishing 2 years and 2 months.
Ted met Doreen at The People’s Vet, where George received a health check from Pete and was found to be in good condition despite his long absence.
Once back home, George wasted no time settling in, spending his first evening curled up on Doreen’s lap.
Doreen said:
“If he hadn’t been chipped I would never have got him back. I never got over him going missing, and I’m overwhelmed with joy.”
Friends of the Animals say George’s remarkable return shows the life-changing importance of microchipping – and the difference dedicated volunteers can make in getting lost pets back where they belong.
Fantastic.
Well done to all involved.
Great news for George
I think it is also important that if someone takes a cat in they should take it to a vet and get it scanned to make sure it doesnt belong to a family who are massively missing it. As a lot of people dont, they just start feeding a “stray” and just take it as their own which is effectively stealing.
That is very true, cat owners should take more care
of their cats.