Safely Home: Hurricane Milton couldn’t separate us!

Today after approximately 6 months, my lost cat was returned to me thanks to his microchip!

I had evacuated for Hurricane Milton to a friend’s house and he carelessly didn’t close one door all the way and the outside door he just didn’t close. When a chainsaw started, boom Mr. Boots took off scared. He was seen on ring cameras a few times in the first few weeks and then nothing for months. I spent 6 weeks driving to his neighborhood, at first several times a day/night searching, then more in the evening, 2am and dusk hours. I walked taping posters to poles and hundreds of mailboxes, dozens of business and every vet office within 10miles. Hours were spent online searching FB groups, neighborhood groups, shelter pics. My heart had settled that someone had taken him in or he had crossed the rainbow bridge.

Just last week I had actually put all his medical records in my shred pile and moved his crate so it could be donated.

A woman called several weeks ago stating a stray cat was on her street, she works in a vet office and she swore it was Boots. I didn’t believe her, thanked her for her time and asked if she saw him again to take a picture.

Today, she did one better. She brought a microchip scanner home from work to scan the stray the man across the street had been lovingly taking care of for the past month. Boots’ markings and distinctive ear scar gave her no doubt it was him but as soon as she scanned him his microchip number matched, reported him lost and gave my information.

Although he was only a block from where he went missing, in time it was a century. As soon as he got into a quiet area in my home, he started giving me kisses, purring loudly, and rolling over for belly rubs. He didn’t forget and neither did I.

Although I don’t know where he was for 5 months, for the last 4 weeks he was shown love by a great man who time and resources to give him love, pets, fresh water, food and warmth. And finally a woman who recognized his flyer in her vet office and had the means to check him for a microchip to confirm his identity. Without that, I may not have ever had the privilege of being the human adopted by Mr. Boots again.

THANK YOU, for this service and making it so simple to update information and report pets lost and found.