It’s always difficult when a pet goes missing. You search everywhere, but eventually lose hope you’ll ever see them again.
But sometimes miracles happen, and pets show up months or even years after they disappeared.
That was the case recently, after one lost cat returned home a whopping 9 years after she went missing.
Michelle Bombay, from north Winnipeg, Canada, was devastated when her cat Eva disappeared from home in November 2013.
“We kept calling her when she went missing, and we walked around the neighborhood and nothing,” Michelle told Global News Canada.
Years went by, and Michelle says she eventually gave up hope of finding her lost pet.
But then, after nearly a decade, she got an unexpected miracle.
Recently, a cat was taken in by the Winnipeg Humane Society. Audrey Barnabe, the manager of intake and animal care at the shelter, found an identification tattoo behind the cat’s ear.
It was Eva, finally found after 9 years away from home. Audrey used some detective work to track down Michelle, finding the old missing cat post that was still on Facebook.
Michelle was stunned by the news that her cat was found: “I was so surprised … I was just, like, really shocked,” she told Global News.
She was also shocked to see how different Eva looked: in the years she was away, she packed on quite a few pounds.
“We were shocked how much weight she gained, because she was small when she went missing,” Michelle told CTV News.
Eva is finally home after all this time. The humane society staff said happy endings like this were uncommon.
“Months, even a year or two, isn’t super rare, but nine years is a really long time that a cat is missing,” Audrey Barnabe told CTV. “It’s extremely rare.”
She also said that long-lost pets don’t always end up with their original families, so they were glad to see Eva made it home after so long.
“Sometimes when we find a tattoo and the cat’s been missing a while, people aren’t able or don’t want to take the animal back. But we were really, really happy we were able to track this person down on Facebook and she was thrilled to have the cat back after so many years.”
Winnipeg Lost Cat Assistance called the reunion an “extreme miracle.”
“For those of you who have cats missing for days, weeks, months and even years – there is still hope you will one day be reunited,” they wrote.
“Congratulations Eva and family! We hope for another 9 years (at least) for her!”
What a miracle. We’re so glad Eva has finally made it home after so many years! We know this beautiful cat and her family will be making up for lots of lost time!
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