Owner Of Cat Missing 3 Years On Long Island 'Had Never Given Up Hope'

AQUEBOGUE, NY — It was the miracle a heartbroken pet owner had held closely to her heart for three long years — on Wednesday, she learned that her cat, missing for all those hours and minutes and days, had been found and was coming home.

Virginia Scudder, founder of The North Fork Country Kids:Rescue and Preservation Through Pedagogy in Aquebogue, said that the rescue group prides itself on advocacy and education. This week, those tenets paid off in the most life-affirming way.

"We always stress the importance of pet care and microchipping," Scudder said. "This was proven true when one of my rescue friends, Janet Rivera-Orlando, contacted me for help with a cat that joined her community cat colony 11 months ago. She affectionately named her Majestic."

Scudder said immediately that she would help and the pair came up with a plan to have Majestic transported by another rescue partner, Patty Burkhart, to the Shinnecock Animal Hospital in Hampton Bays.

The rescue called the vet and paid to have all the standard medical work done, including vaccines, flea and tick treatment, and a snap test, which tests for FIV and leukemia, Scudder said.

"Whenever we get a new cat that has been found or trapped, we ask our vets to scan for microchips, or we scan them ourselves. When I called the vet to check in on Majestic, the staff said that after scanning the cat, it was found that this poor baby had been missing for three years — and the owner had never given up hope."

When she learned that her cat had been found, the owner, who asked not to be identified, cried and was overjoyed, Scudder said.

"I was so choked up and overwhelmed. I quickly texted Janet, who dropped the phone in disbelief and complete joy," she said.

The rescue's singular hope from the amazing story is that anyone who has pets or is thinking about adopting a pet makes sure their cat or dog is microchipped — and most important, that the new owners register that chip.

The North Fork County Kids registers all chips for every cat that is adopted and inputs the adopter's information, Scudder added.

"It's key and it also shows that no one should give up hope for their lost pets. I am also proud of us and so many of my rescue friends that work together to ensure the safety and betterment of animals all across Long Island."

Sometimes, despite the heartbreak that rescue often entails, there are happy endings. " Tomorrow she will be reunited with her baby," Scudder siad. "The owner even kept his carrier for three years, hoping he would be found. Life has a funny way of reminding us never to give up — no matter what the circumstances are."

Rivera-Orlando added: "I'm still in disbelief over the events that happened the past few days. With the help of Virginia Scudder and her rescue and Patty, this sweet boy will be home safe and sound."

Majestic, as she'd called him, had finally broken his survival mode and started to show his true self, she said.

"Loving, sweet, and just an amazing kitty. Prior to that, he would bolt, run, or hide. I always knew something was different with him. I will miss him terribly, but I am so happy that he will be safe inside with his family. I hope to meet him once again, safe in his home."

The owner also expressed her gratitude and described her long quest to find her lost cat.

"I'm very happy to finally get him home with me," she said. "He meowed when he saw me. He realizes who I am. I love him so much!"

She thanked Scudder and all the rescue volunteers. Of the past three years, she said: "The heartbreak I was dealing with was indescribable. I looked everywhere for him, in the woods —winter, spring, summer, fall."

The owner added that some neighbors wouldn't help, not even allowing her to search in their years. Her cat, she said, had always been an indoor cat and slipped out of his collar on his own.

"I'm a senior, no tech skills, and I'm not on Facebook," she said. "I walked, put posters up, etc. But the chip brought him home. The chip brought him home! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."