A British woman who had lost her cat seven weeks earlier was sure that her beloved pet would not return, especially given the severe weather conditions.
Consequently, she couldn’t believe it when an animal association arrived at her door with a furry gift!
Debra Holden and her family had recently moved to Cleethorpes, a coastal town in northeast England. The Holdens arrived in Lincolnshire with their 14-year-old tabby cat Fred, but the critter vanished soon after.
Despite the terrible weather conditions, the family scoured the entire area for Fred. Since it was the middle of winter, it was snowing severely, and the temperatures were frigid.
As time passed, Debra Holden began to believe she had little chance of locating Fred. Nonetheless, she persisted in her search with the assistance of family and friends.
No sign of Fred
According to Grimsby Live, the owners searched for the missing pet by posting posters on lampposts and on lost pet websites. However, the tabby remained missing.
Debra Holden and her daughter both work in the veterinary sector, so they attempted to keep some optimism alive, but it was decreasing each day.
On May 16th, seven weeks after the animal went missing, an agent from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) came to Debra’s house. Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Hannah Williams arrived clutching Fred in her arms.
A shocking return
Debra Holden described the experience as a complete shock. The veterinarian then discovered that her senior cat had been living only a few kilometers away in the small town of Humberston.
A Humberston resident had been feeding Fred for two weeks, thinking he was a stray. Then, concerned about the tabby’s health, she contacted the RSPCA.
Fortunately, Debra Holden had previously chipped the cat with her updated info. As a result, when Fred arrived at the rescue, Hannah Williams ran him through the ID chip reader.
The caretaker extracted Debra Holden’s contact information from the found microchip. As a result, Williams attempted to contact Debra by phone several times but failed.
At last, the resolute RSPCA agent decided to drive to the registered residence. She stated:
” From the moment I saw he had been registered as missing, I just knew we were going to get a happy ending. I phoned the number on the chip, but no one answered, so I drove over to the address instead.”
Hannah was surprised to discover that the address was only a three-minute drive away!
Debra Holden couldn’t hold back her tears when she discovered her pet Fred on her porch. Similarly, the Humberston resident who phoned the RSPCA was thrilled when Hannah Williams informed her of the happy ending.
Debra is now constructing a catio in the garden for Fred since this was not his first escape. The wandering pussy cat has also been known to get inside Tesco delivery trucks!