One of our cats isn't missing!

One of our volunteers, Shirley Chisnall. drove up to Garstang
yesterday to collect a stray, and it turned out to be microchipped,
the owner immediately got in her car and made the 200 mile plus round
trip to collect him. Colin had been missing for over four years.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/br...-15038688.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-12076415

Jeanette

"NettieCat" wrote in message
...
One of our volunteers, Shirley Chisnall. drove up to Garstang
yesterday to collect a stray, and it turned out to be microchipped,
the owner immediately got in her car and made the 200 mile plus round
trip to collect him. Colin had been missing for over four years.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/br...-15038688.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-12076415

Jeanette

Wow! I love happy endings!

Joy

"NettieCat" wrote in message
...
One of our volunteers, Shirley Chisnall. drove up to Garstang
yesterday to collect a stray, and it turned out to be microchipped,
the owner immediately got in her car and made the 200 mile plus round
trip to collect him. Colin had been missing for over four years.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/br...-15038688.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-12076415

What great news! That's a fantastic Christmas present for his owners.
I expect he got into a delivery van with the back doors open somehow (as
they sometimes do.) I always suspect that's what Boyfriend did as no amount
of local advertising including the local radio Petfinder programme turned
his owner up.
With his very posh collar he was obviously well loved. Unfortunately he was
not microchipped. He is now.
I sometimes wonder if his previous owners think about him. I bet they do
because he is so gentle and nice there's no way they weren't devastated to
lose him.
This is turning into an advert for microchipping..I think it's great
technology and everyone who has a cat that goes outside should have it done.
It cost me about 20 pounds. Although the needle they insert it with looks
big, Boyfie never even noticed, he didn't make a sound and believe me he is
a big wuss at the vets.
Yay for Colin & his microchip!
What a lovely story.
With your experience in rescue, Jeanette, do you think after being away for
so long he'll recognise his home and his people?
Or will it be, for him, like being rehomed to somewhere new?
Tweed

On Dec 24, 10:16*pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
"NettieCat" wrote in message


With your experience in rescue, Jeanette, do you think after being away for
so long he'll recognise his home and his people?
Or will it be, for him, like being rehomed to somewhere new?
Tweed

I spoke to his owner yesterday evening, a few hours after she'd got
back to Middlesborough with him. She told me that he'd been very
frightened in the vets, but when she said his name, he recognised it,
let her pick him up, then buried his head under her arm. She said that
he's been following her around the house since they got home, and that
he definitely remembers her. He won't know the home, it's completely
new to him, he's never lived there. There are two other cats in the
household who he may remember, they're older than him, and time will
tell if they recognise him and vice versa

My opinion is that cats remember things / people by association, one
of my own cats was lost for five weeks once, and when we got a call to
say that he'd been found, we went to the finders home to identify him.
He acted as if he didn't recognise us at all, but once we got him home
he got very excited and affectionate, clearly remembered us, and made
a beeline for the bedroom. He jumped up on the bed, found his
favourite spot, and slept for five hours solid!

I think that Colin recognised his name and Maria's voice, and made the
association with 'home'. She rescued him when he was a feral kitten,
and says that they've always had a strong bond.

Anyway, three cheers for microchips, the scientists who developed
them, the lady who reported Colin to us, and the vets who were more
than happy to go the extra mile so close to Christmas and make sure
that Maria found out about Colin as soon as possible. Also, of course,
to our volunteer who made a forty mile round trip in snow and ice to
pick him up! I really do hope that this prompts people to get their
cats chipped, even cats that 'never' go out. A lot of the calls we get
about lost cats relate to 'indoor only' cats that have got outside.

Jeanette

"NettieCat" wrote in message
...
On Dec 24, 10:16 pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
"NettieCat" wrote in message


With your experience in rescue, Jeanette, do you think after being away
for
so long he'll recognise his home and his people?
Or will it be, for him, like being rehomed to somewhere new?
Tweed

I spoke to his owner yesterday evening, a few hours after she'd got
back to Middlesborough with him. She told me that he'd been very
frightened in the vets, but when she said his name, he recognised it,
let her pick him up, then buried his head under her arm. She said that
he's been following her around the house since they got home, and that
he definitely remembers her. He won't know the home, it's completely
new to him, he's never lived there. There are two other cats in the
household who he may remember, they're older than him, and time will
tell if they recognise him and vice versa

My opinion is that cats remember things / people by association, one
of my own cats was lost for five weeks once, and when we got a call to
say that he'd been found, we went to the finders home to identify him.
He acted as if he didn't recognise us at all, but once we got him home
he got very excited and affectionate, clearly remembered us, and made
a beeline for the bedroom. He jumped up on the bed, found his
favourite spot, and slept for five hours solid!

I think that Colin recognised his name and Maria's voice, and made the
association with 'home'. She rescued him when he was a feral kitten,
and says that they've always had a strong bond.

Anyway, three cheers for microchips, the scientists who developed
them, the lady who reported Colin to us, and the vets who were more
than happy to go the extra mile so close to Christmas and make sure
that Maria found out about Colin as soon as possible. Also, of course,
to our volunteer who made a forty mile round trip in snow and ice to
pick him up! I really do hope that this prompts people to get their
cats chipped, even cats that 'never' go out. A lot of the calls we get
about lost cats relate to 'indoor only' cats that have got outside.

Jeanette

***

My two were three years old when I got them, and had never been allowed
outside. When I took them to the vet for their first checkup, I had them
microchipped.

Joy

On Fri, 24 Dec 2010 08:22:34 -0800 (PST), NettieCat
wrote:

One of our volunteers, Shirley Chisnall. drove up to Garstang
yesterday to collect a stray, and it turned out to be microchipped,
the owner immediately got in her car and made the 200 mile plus round
trip to collect him. Colin had been missing for over four years.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/br...-15038688.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-12076415

Jeanette


What a wonderful story.

I have GOT to scrape up the money to get my sweet Lorelei micro chipped.

Once in awhile, the Inhumane Society will do it at about half the
'usual' cost....but it's poorly advertized.

I have always found out about them after the fact: I said the same thing
about getting Kenzie micro chipped

~~~~~~~~~~~~ ^..^

"Life without cats would be only marginally worth living."
-TC, in loving memory of the unmercifully, relentlessly, sweet calico
kitty, Kenzie.

Every day was a treasure with Kenzie; I tried to treat them that way.
There would only be so many, and now, there will never, ever, be any
more

How you behave towards cats here below determines your status in Heaven.
- Robert Heinlein

"Joy" wrote in message
. ..
"NettieCat" wrote in message
...
One of our volunteers, Shirley Chisnall. drove up to Garstang
yesterday to collect a stray, and it turned out to be microchipped,
the owner immediately got in her car and made the 200 mile plus round
trip to collect him. Colin had been missing for over four years.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/br...-15038688.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-12076415

Jeanette

Wow! I love happy endings!

Joy

Me too! And all the more reason to have your cat microchipped.

Jill

NettieCat wrote:

One of our volunteers, Shirley Chisnall. drove up to Garstang
yesterday to collect a stray, and it turned out to be microchipped,
the owner immediately got in her car and made the 200 mile plus round
trip to collect him. Colin had been missing for over four years.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/br...-15038688.html

This is amazing and so sweet:

"When I went to pick Colin up, he was quite nervous and cowering in the
corner of a pen. I simply said his name and he instantly recognised me.
He bounded up to me and stuck his head under my arm. It was just a magical
moment and it left me close to tears!"

You just don't expect that. At least, I don't. It amazes me that the
cat would remember his humans after being missing for 4 years.

Joyce

--
The sun rose slowly, like a fiery furball coughed up uneasily onto a
sky-blue carpet by a giant unseen cat. -- Michael McGarel

On 25/12/2010 00:45, NettieCat wrote:
I spoke to his owner yesterday evening, a few hours after she'd got
back to Middlesborough with him. She told me that he'd been very
frightened in the vets, but when she said his name, he recognised it,
let her pick him up, then buried his head under her arm. She said that
he's been following her around the house since they got home, and that
he definitely remembers her. He won't know the home, it's completely
new to him, he's never lived there. There are two other cats in the
household who he may remember, they're older than him, and time will
tell if they recognise him and vice versa

My opinion is that cats remember things / people by association, one
of my own cats was lost for five weeks once, and when we got a call to
say that he'd been found, we went to the finders home to identify him.
He acted as if he didn't recognise us at all, but once we got him home
he got very excited and affectionate, clearly remembered us, and made
a beeline for the bedroom. He jumped up on the bed, found his
favourite spot, and slept for five hours solid!

Frank was also lost for five weeks once. When I found him, he acted
feral and darted away every time I tried to approach him, but at the
same time it seemed like there was something about me that tickled his
memory. I sat down on a set of stairs where someone had left out some
kibble for him, and as I sat there he came over to have a bite. I gently
dropped his harness on his back. He froze, and I was sure he was going
to dart away again, but instead he suddenly started butting my hands and
my face! I'll never forget that feeling. Happy doesn't begin to describe it.

Thanks for posting this wonderful story, Jeanette. Lucky Colin and lucky
Maria!

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

On Dec 25, 1:39*pm, Marina wrote:

Frank was also lost for five weeks once. When I found him, he acted
feral and darted away every time I tried to approach him, but at the
same time it seemed like there was something about me that tickled his
memory.

To be honest, Ripley's like that sometimes if he's been outside for
five minutes! Then again, he's always been a bit dim.

Jeanette