18-year-old cat reunited with owner 4 years later — and just miles from her SC home
A long-lost cat was found four years later — just in time for a joyful reunion in South Carolina.
Shyla the 18-year-old cat was turned in to a shelter near her home, just as her owner was preparing to move away. That means the two might have lost a chance to reunite, according to a Charleston-area nonprofit organization.
“This person’s been looking for their cat for four years,” Danielle Zuck, marketing and development director for Dorchester Paws, told McClatchy News in a phone interview. “So for us to be able to reunite a family together — especially because this woman is apparently moving ... this is why we do what we try to do.”
While the shelter didn’t share specifics about Shyla’s disappearance in a Facebook post, it said the cat went missing four years ago. Then on Jan. 3, the cat was dropped at the shelter after being found in Summerville.
It turns out, the location was about 10 miles from the home where Shyla’s owner lived. The two reunited because the lost feline had a microchip, which contained her owner’s updated contact information.
Now, Dorchester Paws is urging people to microchip their pets and says those who find stray animals can get them checked for microchips. Shyla was healthy, leading officials to believe someone may have been caring for her while she was separated from her owner.
The day after the owner discovered her cat had been found, the two had a long-awaited reunion, a picture posted on Facebook shows.
“She was absolutely overjoyed,” Zuck said. “You could just tell by the photo that she was absolutely, incredibly beyond happy to be reunited with her animal.”
Summerville is roughly 25 miles northwest of Charleston.
This story was originally published January 9, 2023 at 2:59 PM with the headline "18-year-old cat reunited with owner 4 years later — and just miles from her SC home."
