Lost cat reunited with owner after 4 years

Breanna Edelstein, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
·2 min read

Jun. 9—SALEM, N.H. — An 11-year-old tabby cat known for emptying bowls of food outside a Salem home was not actually a stray, the woman who provided for it recently learned.

His name is Gigi, and his owner, 26-year-old Casey Munroe, was thrilled to be reunited in Haverhill after four years apart.

The unexpected homecoming was made possible by persistent volunteers at Salem Animal Rescue League.

Tiffany Martin, SARL's feline coordinator of nine years, said a woman called to say she was leaving the state to care for a family member but was worried about a stray that she fed.

"He just showed up on her porch one day," Martin said. "And he was really skinny, so she started feeding him. Of course, he kept coming back."

The SARL team was able to get him scanned for a microchip and learned that one had been implanted at the MSPCA at Nevins Farm in Methuen.

Workers there were able to provide contact information, in conjunction with Haverhill Animal Control, for the cat's owner.

"He was an indoor and outdoor cat," Martin said she learned. "He's very friendly. One of his hangout spots was Dunkin' Donuts."

She noted that SARL has been able to help reunite lost animals with their rightful owners in the past, but never after so many years had passed.

Munroe was shocked that Gigi was still out there.

"This upcoming September would have been five years that he was gone," she said. "He would come home every night, until the time he didn't. We called his name out, we posted on social media, we asked the police if anyone had reported a cat hit by a car."

She said she likes to think that Gigi remembers her and her boyfriend. Since being brought home — a new one that the couple moved into after the disappearance — he is strictly an indoor cat and has gained five pounds.

"He was very missed," she said. "He's so loved."

SARL Executive Director Jinelle Hobson says Gigi's journey provides several lessons.

"Microchipping your pet is critically important," she said. "If you find a stray pet, you should contact your local animal control officer or bring it to a local animal rescue. Animal control officers and shelters work cooperatively to get lost animals home."