Cat Missing Since 2015 Reunited With Owner Thanks to Identification Chip

There’s perhaps no scarier prospect for a pet owner than their beloved animal missing. Not knowing where their companion is or if they’re safe is a harrowing emotional roller coaster — arguably even more so than a pet passing away. Charlotte, North Carolina resident Debbi Hogg had been riding said roller coaster since her beloved cat Joey disappeared two years ago.

Hogg first adopted the animal when he was just 6-weeks-old, and quickly fell in love. Joey was the “baby” of her six cats, and he was spoiled and pampered.

On Easter Sunday in 2015, Hogg accidentally locked Joey in the garage of her home. The cat exited out the open garage door.

Hogg searched her neighborhood and surrounding ares for Joey to no avail. However, she didn’t not give up. Over the following two years, she continued searching for her beloved cat.

Hogg told the Charlotte Observer, “I ended up finding every black cat in the 28277 area code but Joey, and I found homes for all those other cats.”

Although everything may have looked bleak, Debbi Hogg never gave up hope.

Earlier this year, that hope paid off. Hogg was contacted by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control Center telling her that Joey had been located. He had been found by an unnamed local resident on May 11, nearly 20 miles from home.

The Center was then able to use an identification microchip implanted inside Joey to access Hogg’s contact information.

“Miracles happen. I was shaking and tearing up on the drive to get him,” Hogg told the Charlotte Observer of her reaction to the unexpected reunion. “It had gotten to the point that I thought he was either dead or someone else had picked him up.”

On the actual moment itself, Hogg could not have seemed more thrilled.

“He recognized me. When I was able to take him out of the crate, he was very affectionate. He has slept with me every night and when I walk in the door, he’s right there at my feet, rubbing up against me, meowing.”

Debbi Hogg Found Her Cat Thanks To Microchipping

According to Melissa Knicely of the Animal Care and Control Center, the reunion between Debbi Hogg and Joey is not unprecedented. The center reunited 19 cats and over 900 dogs with their owners in 2016 thanks to microchips.

This story should convince owners to give their pets a microchip. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association:

“A study of more than 7,700 stray animals at animal shelters showed that dogs without microchips were returned to their owners 21.9 percent of the time, whereas microchipped dogs were returned to their owners 52.2 percent of the time. Cats without microchips were reunited with their owners only 1.8 percent of the time, whereas microchipped cats went back home 38.5 percent of the time.”

“For those of you still looking for your fur baby, never give up, and please, everyone get your babies chipped. If it was not for the chip I would not have him now, ” Debbi Hogg said.

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