It’s always heartbreaking when a beloved pet goes missing, but it’s important to never give up hope. Sometimes pets are found months or even years after disappearing and returning to our lives when we least expect them to.
That was the case recently when a woman found her cat… missing for 9 years!
The story was shared on social media by the Henrico Police Division of Henrico County, Virginia. They say that a local resident found a stray cat on their porch who would not leave.
An APU officer responded and took the cat to a shelter. The vets scanned her for a microchip and luckily she had one.
They contacted the owner and were shocked to discover that the cat, named Piper, had been missing for nine years.
Twitter/@HenricoPolice
After so long away, Piper was considered “missing forever,” police wrote, and after searching for a long time the owner had marked the cat as deceased in Piper’s microchip info.
But as they say, cats have nine lives, and for this owner, her long-lost cat is now “back from the dead.” The owner was reportedly in disbelief at first but was thrilled to have her cat back. Photos show their happy reunion:
Nine years is a long time, more than half the life of an average cat. It’s unclear what Piper has been doing all these years, but she finally returned home.
“While this white-gloved feline has had some time to herself, we sure are glad to see Piper back with her owner!” Henrico Police wrote.
While it seems like a miracle, the police emphasized that the reunion was only made possible by the cat’s microchip, and encouraged owners to get their pets chipped and to keep their contact info up to date.
“The moral of the story is that microchips help animals return to their families,” they wrote.
Twitter/@HenricoPolice
We’re so glad Piper is finally home after 9 years!