Tearful reunion between cat and owner after a year apart

The Young family searched everywhere for Heidi, but after months – and no trace of their furry family member – they lost hope they would see her again.

“We put flyers everywhere. We still had a sliver of hope we would see her again, but we thought she was probably gone forever,” Tracey says.

Then in August 2020, someone brought a long-haired tortoiseshell cat into SPCA’s Napier Centre after a stray cat had been living under their deck for about a month.

“Heidi was in good shape and had been hanging around the person’s address for some time. If she hadn’t brought her in, this reunion would have never happened,” Tracey says.

After bringing the cat into SPCA’s Napier Centre, Animal Attendant Rachel Sumner discovered she had a registered microchip.

“We got in touch with the Young family who confirmed their very much-loved cat Heidi had been missing since April last year. They were over the moon and almost in tears,” Sumner says.

Tracey says she never expected to get the call from SPCA. “I had to sit down because I was in shock.”

For Tracey, Heidi’s story shows the benefit of microchipping your pet and keeping those details up to date.

“Chipping works. After so much time had passed, I thought Heidi had died because we live on a main road,” she says.

Sumner says this is just another example of the importance of microchipping your pet.

“That microchip allowed Heidi to be reunited with her owner and she’s now making herself at home again. It’s delightful to see outcomes like these.”

To find out more about the benefits of microchipping your pet, check out this article.