"I was pet sitting for a client of mine in the middle of the winter. We had just been through a big winter storm and there was snow and ice everywhere. She is a volunteer for the Coalition and had been taking care of a community cat on her back patio. She had a feeding station set up along with a nice winter shelter that was up against her house. Each time I went outside to feed I checked the shelter to see if the cat was inside. About the third time I went, I peeked inside the shelter, and looking back at me was this cute little black and white cat. She looked scared so I didn’t linger but took a picture and sent it to my client. She confirmed this was not the cat she had been caring for but that I should continue to feed and she would care for this one as well. I left and when I came back the next day, the same cat was there. Something seemed different. The cat looked at me and meowed, community cats (ferals) don’t typically vocalize, so I thought it might be a friendly cat. I coaxed it out of the shelter and it came towards me with its tail in the air (another thing that is typical of friendly cats). It appeared skinny and it was still meowing so I took a chance, and I picked it up. It was friendly!

I took the cat immediately to our partner vet, Towne Animal Clinic, where they scanned the cat for a microchip. SUCCESS! The owner had chipped the cat and they called her to let her know we had found her cat. The owner was so happy and came over immediately. Crispins is the cats name and he had gone missing right before the storm. She had been worried sick and looked everywhere for him.

I knew the difference between a community or feral cat, and a stray or lost pet and because Crispins was microchipped he was reunited with her owner!"

Happy endings are the best!