A cat that was missing for eight years has been reunited with her owner in a truly unexpected turn of events.
When a good Samaritan spotted a tired stray earlier this month, she brought the animal to the SAVE (Saving Animals Volunteer Endeavor) shelter in Okotoks, Alberta.
The senior cat was found exhausted and in poor condition. But nobody expected what came next.
When staff scanned her for a microchip, they discovered it was unregistered, but SAVE’s lead customer care representative managed to trace the microchip back to the Calgary Humane Society, who found the owner’s contact information.
Shelter staff then learned the cat’s name was Katherine, and that she had been missing for eight years. After so long, her owner believed Katherine had died.
According to SAVE, the cat had likely been surviving outdoors for a significant portion of that time, relying on the kindness of strangers and her own instincts. Despite her rough condition, staff said she was calm and affectionate.
After getting a call from the shelter, Katherine’s owner traveled to the shelter for a reunion that SAVE described as immediate and emotional, with Katherine recognizing her owner right away.
The video of the heartwarming reunion gained more than 290,000 views on SAVE’s Instagram page. In the footage, Katherine’s delighted owner rushes over to her and said: “I knew you didn’t die.”
Cheryl Brown, practice manager at Southern Alberta Veterinary Emergency (SAVE), told Newsweek: “A local woman found Katherine wandering alone just outside Okotoks and brought her to SAVE, thinking she was a stray. She was gentle and affectionate but clearly tired and weathered from being on her own for so long.
“She was underweight, stressed, and very hungry, but didn’t require emergency treatment. Considering how long she had been missing, she was surprisingly resilient.”
When Katherine went missing, the family had recently adopted two young kittens, so she began spending more time outdoors and one day, she disappeared.
“Her family put posters up all over their community, searched extensively, and reached out to neighbors, but there were no sightings and no leads. Eventually, they had to accept that she was gone,” Brown said.
Staff at the shelter were delighted by the reunion. “It was incredibly emotional. As soon as Katherine heard her mom’s voice, she started meowing loudly, almost urgently,” Brown said. “When her mom entered the room, Katherine went straight into her arms, purring deeply and pressing her face against her. After eight years apart, the recognition was instant—and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.”
Now Katherine is now safely back home and already settling in again, and staff at SAVE hope her story encourages more pet owners to microchip their animals—and, crucially, to keep their contact information updated.
Viewers were delighted by Katherine finding her family again and shared their reactions in the comments.
“A lesson to microchip your pets and make sure you update them,” said one commenter.
Another wrote: “No way!! Oh this is so incredible.”
“The tears are rolling down my face,” said one viewer on Instagram. “So happy they’re together again.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
