The Cat is Back!
Friday, February 7, 2014 at 8:40PM Just a couple months ago, in my Best of the Rest post, I mentioned that our cat Autumn had disappeared in 2013, after being with us only a few months. Her story is remarkable, and if you are a cat lover or a cat hater, you may want to read A Cat Tale, if you haven't already. Our hearts were broken when Autumn vanished one day. We searched the neighborhoods, but no one had seen her, no little body on the side of the road. She was an exceptionally friendly cat, and I only hoped that whoever had taken her had given her a good home.
Flash forward to this week when we received a call from a local vet. A lady had found a cat wandering in a park about a mile from here. She was hungry and apparently lost but seemed well cared for. The sweet lady, an animal lover, took the cat to the vet, who scanned her chip for identification. The cat was our Autumn!
I went to pick her up, wondering if she would remember us. She came to me but did not really warm up until we drove into our drive. She looked out the car window and turned her purr motor on high! She remembered the house and immediately reclaimed all her favorite spots. She also claimed an additional piece of territory: Lou's favorite chair! Wonder of wonders, Lou, the former cat hater, has no problem sharing it with her. She also has adopted her former habit of following Lou around like a faithful puppy.
A blogging buddy, Casa Mariposa, had commented on my "Best of the Rest" post that there was still a chance Autumn could come back. Thanks to chip identification technology, her prediction came true. The way this works is this: A micro chip, about the size of a piece of rice, is injected under the pet's skin. Each microchip contains a registration number and the phone number for the registry for that particular brand of chip. The chip uses radio frequency waves to transmit information about the pet. The vet or animal shelter uses a hand held scanner to read the information and can then contact the registry to get the owner's name and phone number.
I am so relieved that nothing terrible happened to Autumn. I wonder where she has been, and I suppose someone else is feeling the loss of a cat. But for us it is a very happy ending.
Reader Comments (21)
I'm so happy for you and Lou, Deb! And Autumn too! She looks very happy to be back. Autumn's rescuer also deserves a dose of good karma for her kindness in taking Autumn to the vet.
Look at Lou & Autumn! So happy for this unexpected reunion! xo
I'm so glad Autumn's story has a happy ending, and that you got her back. She's very pretty.
Cool story! Cats are amazing, I am so happy that your Autumn is back! :-)
That is such great news Debs!! So pleased to know that Autumn has come back and reclaimed the void she had left in yours and Lou's life when she disappeared. So pleased to read this!!
We are glad to find your public journal of adventures in the garden. This is a good gift for us, and for you as well, we see. Thank you. We are especially glad you have found your cat. Homecoming is wonderful. For plants. Animals. And people, too. Because home is healing and we are happy when everybody else for whom we care is there. – The Helaing Garden gardener
That's wonderful that you got Autumn back!!
Fantastic news, so glad your story has a happy ending for you all. Autumn looks very pleased to be back in her old home, thanks to modern technology!
cats have that unpredictable quality. Perhaps one day you'll meet the in between home? So glad to see you 3 happy at home.
Awwww, sweet! Glad to hear it! It's fun to imagine all the adventures she's had. Reminds me of that movie, "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey." Cats are great pets, especially when they claim you! I'm happy for you!
So great to hear this! I know you are so relieved and happy to have Autumn back! What a great story :)
Hooray!! I'm so glad she's back!! She must be thrilled to be home. What a wonderful surprise. :)
I'm so glad she had a chip! I guess she just got lost, poor little thing. How fun that she was happy to return home. I bet next time she won't venture so far away!
I love animal stories with a happy ending! That's the problem with cats - they can't really be happy or true to their natures unless they are outdoors, but if they are they get lost or run over or eaten by something. It's a real dilemma. But she looks very happy to be home.
What a great ending to your tale...we can dream of her living happily ever after now with you both. She's a darling, and so cute.
Just before we moved, we made sure to micro chip Bootsie. I am thrilled to hear that it worked so well for you, and Autumn, if everyone did that, there might be less lost animals out there. Only a mile, but it might as well have been hundreds without that chip.
She's beautiful...
Jen
Wow, modern technology, so small so useful. If only Autumn could talk... Who knows what adventures she encountered.
Wonderful! We are thinking about getting a new cat (our last passed on a couple years ago), and if we do we will definitely do this chip technology. I find it amazing that your kitten made it through the winter on its own.
So happy for you! Both our dogs are micro chipped - peace of mind for us all
I do remember Autumn and your heart break when she left...so glad she has returned.
What happy news!! So glad that in this day and age of modern technology, a microchip brought your little kitty cat home to you :) (That and a kind-hearted, like-minded cat lover!)
I am so happy that Autumn is back, what a miracle. We have chips in our cats too. Having cats disappear and others die, I have to say in the long run it is harder not to know. You keep looking across the yard thinking you'll see them. But in your case it worked.