Cat Missing in Michigan Finds Way Home 8 Months Later

Source: © Shutterstock

Olive is a special cat from Michigan. She is a member of a loving family in the town of Midland. She has a heartwarming story that has been shared by Michigan Live News online. Her story is touching. This is the kind of report that renews our faith in a time when most of us could use something that makes us feel good.

Olive’s story

Jeremy and Ashley Flood were in their living room on a weekend evening when they heard meowing at the door. When they got up to investigate, they found a persistent cat who wouldn’t go away. The gray cat didn’t’ seem to be in any distress, so they returned to their apartment, but they heard her throughout the night. The following evening, she returned, and they heard her outside the door. They had picked up necessary supplies in case she returned. The cat was shivering from the cold, and they decided to bring her inside. Once they had her in the apartment, they could tell that she needed their help. A few days later, they took her to the Humane society to have the animal scanned if she was chipped. To their amazement, the name of the owner came up with all of the relevant information about the helpless kitty.

The couple learned that Olive had been separated from her family during the flooding that took place in Midland 8 months earlier in the spring of 2020. They had assumed that their beloved pet was gone and would never be found again. The helpless cat had managed to survive alone in the town until she finally went to the Flood family for help, and they were willing to take her in if her family couldn’t be found. The crisis had taken place on May 17, 2020, with floods that cause the evacuation of over 10,000 people living in the area when the Sanford and Edenville dams failed.

The lesson that we learn from Olive’s story

Olive’s 8-month ordeal had a happy ending, but not all stories have this heartwarming conclusion. There are several lessons that we as pet parents and community members can learn from the tale. The first is that there is a good case for microchipping every pet. Microchipping is a service that allows pet shelters to learn everything that there is to know about a missing pet with a simple scan. The chip is the reason that Olive was reunited with her loving family after months of being missing and out on her own.

The second lesson we learn is that it’s important for members of the community to get involved. When there is an animal in distress, it’s essential that someone takes the time to act to lend a helping hand. If the Flood couple hadn’t found it in their hearts to take Olive to the Humane Society to further investigate her origins, they would have never known that she was a missing pet and that a family was out there somewhere, believing she was killed in the catastrophe that took place.

The third lesson that we can take away from this story is that as pet parents, we should never give up on our beloved pets. Olive’s story is not unique as there have been thousands of lost or stolen pets returned to their loving homes because someone cared enough to scan them for a microchip. True Care Veterinary Hospital (https://www.truecareveterinaryhospital.com/blog/the-case-for-microchipping-your-pet/) shares the grim statistics that one in every three pets will at least at one point in their lives, become separated from their owners. Cats get lost when they wander too far from home, and some are even stolen, then turned out in the streets. The numbers recorded so far show that approximately twenty-five percent of these pets are reunited with their pet parents.

Why chipping is the responsible course of action

Microchips are no larger than a grain of rice, but they contain all of the information necessary to contact the family of a missing or stray pet. If more people would microchip their pets, they would be easier to track down if they do disappear. It’s an inexpensive process that just takes a few moments to complete. The microchips are registered with the information stored in a large database network. If pet owners lose a pet and then move away, they can contact the provider to change the address so they can be tracked down wherever they move. The process involves a simple injection that is not dangerous to pets and there is minimal pain involved. The chip is injected under the skin and it is a lifelong means of finding your pet more easily if he or she becomes lost.

Final thoughts

We appreciate the Floods and people like them who care enough to help animals in distress. They could have just taken the cat in, but instead, they wanted to find out if Olive had a family out there somewhere. As luck would have it, they were able to locate her owners and ensure her safe return to them. We all owe the Humane Society a debt of gratitude for setting up the elaborate chipping system that has been responsible for the safe return of so many lost pets to loving families. Olive’s story helps to build a solid case to support the practice of microchipping all of our pets at the earliest possible time in their lives. The odds are in favor of a pet becoming lost at least once in their lives. While chipping isn’t a foolproof method to ensure a pet’s safety it is one more measure that we can take to protect our beloved fur babies. If you have dogs or cats in your home, there is good reason to consider taking them in to have each of them chipped in case they somehow become separated from you.

image sources

  • Olive the Cat: © Shutterstock

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