Knowing that cats are highly independent animals – my greatest fear is that one of my cats may go away and never come back again. If you ask me, this behavior tends to be more common in male cats.

If it weren’t for my past experience, I wouldn’t have this fear. I had a male cat named Truman, and we shared a deep and strong bond. When he reached sexual maturity, he began venturing outside, but always returned home within a day or two.

However, one day, Truman left and never came back. I was stressed and worried, and after realizing he would never come back, my heart broke into pieces.

A similar thing happened to Mindy and Luke Crinier, but they were luckier than I was.

Their ginger boy named Cat went missing, and after 536 days, their hopes began to fade. However, to their astonishment and joy, their beloved Cat decided to surprise them!

How It All Started…

Luke and Mindy decided to adopt a cat from a shelter. That’s when they first laid eyes on Cat. He was incredibly shy and didn’t interact much with other cats.

The moment Luke and Mindy saw Cat, they knew he was meant to be part of their family.

All this ginger boy needed was someone to love him. Mindy said:

“You could see in his eyes, he just needed love. It did take work, he had an immediate attachment to my husband, Luke, but one day we woke up, and he was just laying on my chest purring and that was the start of my sidekick cat.”

Cat adjusted well to his new home, gaining confidence and exploring his surroundings. However, their happiness didn’t last very long. 

Cat started exploring a bit further, which meant he was going away almost every day. He began venturing further almost every day. He would return home only for meals and meow to let his parents know he was back.

Tragedy struck in early May. Mindy said:

“I put this new collar on him that had just come in the mail and let him out to play in the tree out front as usual. He paused and looked at me, and I just had this strange feeling I wasn’t going to see him again, to the point I actually called my husband and told him about it.”

Unfortunately, she was right. Cat didn’t come home for dinner, so his parents started panicking. They immediately posted his photo on the Lost & Found Pets, hoping for any leads. 

They even placed his litter box and food outside, hoping the familiar scents would guide him back. But there was no sign of Cat.

The devastated couple did everything in their power to find Cat or to help him return home, but their efforts were in vain. Mindy said:

“After a few months of nightly walks calling and praying animal control or the shelter would call, I started to lose hope.”

Cat had been microchipped and wore a collar with the vet’s information and Mindy’s name. If someone found him or if something happened to him, his parents would receive a call once he was scanned. However, none of those calls ever came.

One Message Changed Everything

As time passed, Mindy’s heart shattered into countless pieces, just like mine did after Truman went missing. However, one day, something unexpected happened! What they say is true – miracles happen when you least expect them. Mindy said:

“On Halloween, 536 days after he disappeared, I got a voicemail from Animal Control and an email from the microchip company saying he had been found!”

After all that time, Mindy couldn’t believe her ears, and she even thought it might be a mistake. Nevertheless, she got in her car and followed the instructions from the voicemail. She drove to Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter, trying to hold back tears.

However, her excitement faded as soon as she found out that her Cat wasn’t at the shelter. The staff quickly started making calls to find out where Cat was. 

They soon learned that one man had reported that Cat was hit by a car on Halloween night. 

The man, who was in his 60s, explained that he had been feeding the cat for a year. When the accident happened, he immediately called for help. Then AC came and scanned Cat’s microchip, which showed Mindy’s information. 

The man had no idea that the cat had owners or that he had a microchip. Cat was fine, and the man decided to keep him at his home until they could contact Mindy.

Emotional Reunion

As soon as Mindy found out about Cat, she rushed to the man’s house to pick him up. She said:

“The reunion was unreal. He was only 1.8 miles away, 2 blocks from the park we take his tiny human to 3–4 times a week. He was sitting on the porch eating out of his bowl when he looked over at me and I said his name. Then he meowed right back at me, as he always had, grabbed another bite of food from the bowl, and walked over to me as I approached. He jumped straight into my arms and started purring.”

After the emotional reunion, Mindy and Cat walked towards the car where Luke, her husband, was talking to the man who saved Cat. The cat purred even louder when he heard Luke’s voice, knowing that he was finally going home. Then Mindy said:

“He gave me that first suuuuper long head boop. It was like that head boop nudged the little piece of my broken heart back in place.”

When they arrived home, everything felt right again, and they were a happy family once again. After calming down, Mindy decided to share their story to give hope to others in similar situations. She said:

“I hope that our story will give others missing their pets hope, and maybe those who have unknowingly taken in someone else’s pet will check to see if they’re scanned so that pet can have their happy reunion with their family, and someone else can feel the overwhelming joy we’re experiencing.”

I’m very happy about this family reunion, and I hope this story will help many people. 

Additionally, this story might also help people understand the importance of microchipping their pets, as it increases the chances of reuniting them with their families.

Please share this to help many cat parents and their pets in finding their way home!