Photo: GoFundMe
That all changed with one phone call. On Jan. 22, a veterinarian from the Franklin County Animal Shelter in Eastpoint, Florida, informed Cilley that someone recently brought the cat in as a stray. The veterinarian confirmed the feline belonged to Cilley through the contact info found on Ashes' microchip before calling the pet parent.
“I live in Maine. We don’t have a cat in Florida,” she recalled telling the vet in an interview with Patch.
“We have no idea,” Cilley said. “Maybe somebody found her in Maine, thought she was a stray, took her in and moved to Florida, and she got out and couldn’t find her way home. I wish she could talk.”
Cilley knows that her upcomingreunionwith Ashes is only possible because of “themiracle of microchips.”
“They’re not that expensive and can save so much heartache if your cat ever gets out,” she explained.
The steps to make Cilley’s reunion with Ashes a reality are in motion thanks in part to Janet Williams, a former Maine resident who had since moved to Florida and foundedADORE Pet Rescue.
“They called me because I do have connections in the rescue community,” Williams told Patch. “And there’s a fairly well-organized rescue network up, and down the East Coast I could tap into.”
“I don’t think she had vet care, or she would have been scanned for a microchip,” Cilley said of the cat’s past seven years.
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“She bounced back quickly, though. She has a good coat, a good body weight, and a good disposition,” Williams added. “She is incredibly sweet. She wants to be brushed, which is unusual for cats, but she loves to be combed.”
With the help of a social media post, a Southwest employee has volunteered to fly Ashes back to New England once she is healthy enough for the trip.
“Kitty still has some traveling in her future,” Cilley shared.
source: people.com
