A missing cat who escaped from her family’s Maine home 6 1/2 years ago has been found more than 1,400 miles away in central Florida.
According to WFTV, Denise Cilley of Chesterville, Maine, said her cat, Ashes, was less than a year old when she vanished on Aug. 14, 2015 – Cilley’s daughter’s 10th birthday. When Ashes never returned, Cilley figured her feline friend had fallen victim to a predator in the neighborhood.
But last month, a veterinarian called Cilley to say her missing cat was alive – and in Seminole County, Florida.
Cilley told WFTV that she was confused at first, thinking, “I’m not missing a cat.” Then she put the pieces together.
“Oh my God, that’s Ashes,” she said.
Cilley said a Longwood, Florida, couple who had been caring for the stray cat decided to take her to the vet after her health seemed to decline, WFTV reported. That’s when the vet scanned Ashes’ microchip.
“Microchipping your animals is like magic because you can find them years later,” Cilley told WFTV.
Thanks to help from a friend of a friend, Janet Williams, as well as some generous strangers on GoFundMe, Ashes soon will be flying back to Maine, the TV station reported.
“I think I’m probably going to cry,” Cilley told WFTV. “It’s like a long-lost child. My baby is coming home.”
