Teen Girl Loses Her Cat More Than a Decade Ago and Gets an Unlikely Reunion

When The Black Eyed Peas asked, “Where is the Love?” they focused on the human-human relationship that has deteriorated over the years because people have become selfish. That vice has seen animals become victims of human negligence; therefore, when one a teen girl loses her cat more than a decade and gets an unlikely reunion thanks to one Good Samaritan, the faith in humanity is restored. It is not every day that you will come across a person willing to feed a stray cat for over ten years, yet Mocha was lucky to have survived by that show of compassion. Check out how he was reunited with his owner after about 13 years.

A bond that transcends time

Nearly 13 years ago, a teenage girl in high school lost her beloved furry friend, and it took such a toll on her that she refused to go to school. The pet owner felt her time was much better off spent searching for the feline. After her futile efforts, she reluctantly moved on, reasoning that Mocha was hit by a car or died through other unfortunate circumstances. Time has been said to heal all wounds, and the teenage girl grew up to be an animal lover who adopted a dog and cat.

On the other hand, Mocha may not have much to say regarding his emotions after losing his owner, but one thing he can be grateful for is that fate led him to one compassionate person. The person claimed to have fed Mocha for over a decade, but he took the cat to an animal shelter since he planned to move. According to a Facebook post by the Toole City Animal Shelter, the shelter manager had a gut feeling about Mocha belonging to someone, so they scanned him for a microchip. Their suspicions were right because they found a registered chip.

Upon contacting the people listed in the address, the manager asked the pet owners to visit the shelter and identify the cat. After over ten years without a trace, they were a bit confused about how a cat that belonged to their teenage daughter ages ago had been found, but then again seeing is believing. It was incredible to realize that it was indeed Mocha, and the father called his daughter, who lives in a different city, to inform her of the good news.

Mocha’s human rushed to the animal shelter within an hour, and the moment she laid eyes on the stray cat, she burst into tears as she recognized her long-lost feline friend. As she underwent the reclaim process, the pet owner was shaking in shock, and she finally took him home on July 17, 2020. After his ordeal, we can only hope that he will get along with the other pets at home; Mocha has been through enough and probably used up all his nine lives, so all he needs is a stress-free life.

Why the shelter posted about the reunion

While some people will ignore a stray animal, others will take them in, but now that kind gesture is discouraged. According to Useless Bay Sanctuary, animal lovers will not call animal control because they fear that the stray will be euthanized. Therefore, they prefer to keep the canines and felines in the assumption that they are saving their lives. However, this reasoning is wrong as per the Toole City Animal Shelter that also advises people to take strays to animal shelters.

According to the shelter manager, taking a stray to the shelter increases their chances of reuniting with their rightful owner, especially if they have a microchip. The longer you hold on to a stray, the more the emotional turmoil you subject to the animal and the pet owner who may be searching for them. Unfortunately, the rightful owners can only search for so long before giving up and moving on with their lives, as the teenage girl did. In some instances, some good Samaritans take months or years to return the pet, and by then, the owners may have moved away to different parts of the country or changed their minds about having pets. Therefore, Toole City Animal Shelter advised that people who find strays should report to the authorities within 24 hours to avoid being charged with harboring a stray.

Other ways you can help stray animals

Regardless of how much love you have for animals, sometimes the best action you can take for a stray animal is nothing. According to the Winnipeg Humane Society, if you spot a healthy cat that looks lost, you should leave it alone because chances of it finding its way home are higher. Besides, good health indicates they already have someone taking care of them, and you taking then in will be depriving the rightful owner of the pet’s companionship.

Alternatively, once you notice that the animal has an ID, you can call the owner to collect the pet. However, if the owner cannot be reached, you should hold on to the animal and wait for the owner to reach out to you. All the same, you must file a “found” report in the nearest animal shelter since it is logical that the pet owner will go searching for the lost animal there. Additionally, if you still cannot hold the pet, you can surrender it to the animal shelter or have animal control take it.

Sometimes taking matters in your own hands is the only way of reuniting lost pets with their owners. Therefore you can opt to print out fliers even as you hold on to the animal; fliers with the animal’s photo are much better. Distribute them to local animal shelters and post them in strategic areas around the area you found the pet. Moreover, posting an ad in newspapers also increases the chances of finding the owner.