David Allinson, a pet enthusiast from Henlow, Bedfordshire, was devastated when his five-year-old cat Percy vanished in 2003.
Unbeknownst to him, Percy had been residing just 15 miles away with a coworker of David’s, and the two had recently reconnected after 11 years apart.
“I was horrified when Percy went missing and tried all in my power to try and find him, but as the years passed, I genuinely thought I would never see him again,” David said. I frequently dreaded the worse and wondered if he was safe and warm when the weather was extremely harsh.
In an effort to locate a domestic short-haired cat, David spent months hanging up posters within a 20-mile radius of his home and placing ads in his neighborhood paper.
However, despite having a microchip, Percy was never located. It turns out that he was residing with an elderly woman in the nearby community of Cockayne Hatley.
Ruth Hart, a neighbor, began feeding and caring for Percy when the elderly widow passed earlier this year. She was unaware that Percy belonged to David, a coworker.
After Ruth told David about the cat, the two realized Percy, the cat, who is now 15 years old, was gone after consulting the microchip database Petlog.
“I couldn’t believe it when Ruth told me she had Percy,” David remarked. We set up a meeting so I could see Percy again. He was hiding behind the sofa out of fear, but as I yelled his name, he sprinted into my arms. I sobbed inconsolably because I couldn’t believe it was my Percy.
“I will always be appreciative that I got Percy microchipped and updated my contact information with Petlog. It merely proves that microchipping is effective, and I shudder to think what may have occurred if I hadn’t located him.
