A cat in England who went missing nine years back has recently been reunited with her family, reports The Independent. Strawberry, who’s now 11 years old, disappeared from her Plymouth home back in June 2014. For the last two years, the feline was looked after by a resident of St Budeaux. Last month, they reached out to the local branch of Cats Protection, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cat welfare, after Strawberry’s health started deteriorating.
Missing cat found ‘covered in fleas’
Lizzie Smith, a volunteer at the organization, said the cat was “covered in fleas” when she arrived at the center. The feline had a microchip, but tracking down her owners wasn’t easy since their details were not updated. “The email linked with Strawberry’s chip was incorrect, so I phoned the number and left a message,” Smith said.
She later tried calling the cat’s owners but received no response. After finding out that they had moved on from their address, Smith looked them up online. “Running out of options I searched social media and luckily her owners have a distinctive surname.”
Continuing, she shared, “So I sent a message to a lady with the same name, asked if she was missing a cat and added a strawberry emoji.”
Smith said the cat’s owner, Jo, “was in shock” when she heard about her beloved pet. Since the family has moved to Portsmouth, Smith met Jo’s husband, Lee, and daughter, Emily, at the Exeter service station to “shorten the journey for everyone.” Undeniably, they were delighted to be reunited with the cat.
“We kept Strawberry’s microchip active in the hope that one day she may be found and we would always have that link,” Lee shared. “I was absolutely shocked when I heard the news that Strawberry had been found.” Accordingly, the feline’s microchip has since been updated.
Jo shared her daughter “was in tears” when she heard the cat had been found. Describing the emotional reunion as “a Christmas miracle,” she said Strawberry instantly recognized the family “and has not stopped purring since coming home.”
