When a pet goes missing, it’s important not to lose hope. Even when it seems like you’ll never see your pet again, miracles can happen: lost pets have been reunited with their owners months or even years later.
And recently, one cat returned home after an unbelievable 12 years away from home, after his owner found him on Facebook.
Shelley Brockbank loved her pet cat Alfie, and was devastated back in 2009 when the cat went missing: “Alfie had a tendency for getting in people’s cars if the windows were left open, and I believe that is how his adventure began,” Shelley told the Jersey Evening Post.
Shelley looked everywhere for her cat, putting up posters and reaching out to local animal shelters, but Alfie was nowhere to be found.
Years passed, and Shelley had completely given up hope that she would ever see her cat again.
But last month — 12 years after the cat ran off from home — Shelley got a very unexpected surprise. She was browsing Facebook when she saw a post from the JSPCA Animals’ Shelter. The post was about a “very friendly” stray cat they had picked up named “Buddy,” but Shelley immediately recognized who it really was.
“There was no mistaking, that was Alfie,” she said.
*** REUNITED *** Stray cat Neutered male. Microchipped but can't get hold of owner. Found near The Palms in St. Ouen. Very friendly. Name is "Buddy".
Posted by JSPCA Animals' Shelter on Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Shelley reached out to the shelter, and was soon reunited with Alfie after 12 years apart. According to a Facebook post, the shelter believes that the cat has had two homes in the intervening years, but after all his adventures he’s finally back with his true family.
“He’s finally home after a 12 year adventure!” Shelley wrote on Facebook. “He’s settled in well for his first night and I like to think he remembers me!”
A lot has changed in Shelley’s life, too, in the past 12 years: she now has children, who love Alfie as much as she does.
‘My daughter Amelia loves him, and cannot believe he has been missing for so long,” she told the Jersey Evening Post. “Alfie has also been introduced to our little boy.”
Alfie was 4 when he disappeared, and he’s now 16 — a ripe old age in cat years. But Shelley is glad he has finally made it home after all these years, and they will be making up for plenty of lost time.
“I am so so glad he is finally home. Whatever time he has left, I am glad that we get to spend it with him,” she said.
What a miracle. We’re so glad that Alfie is back with his family after all these years!
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