A recent phone call had Nicole Watkins celebrating and crying all at once. It was one she wasn’t expecting but hoped for all the same. On the other end of the line was Paws Mobile Veterinary Clinic, reaching out to tell Nicole her cat Naomi had been found and was safe in the care of Friends2Ferals in Asheville, North Carolina.
Naomi had been missing for two years after bolting from the car during the family’s move from Wake Forest, North Carolina, to Chicago, Illinois. Thanks to a microchip and the expert work of Friends2Ferals, a family was put back together after time and distance kept them apart.
Moving Stress Turns into Nightmare
On their way to Chicago, the Watkins stopped in Asheville to break up the approximately eleven-hour drive. Nicole supposed her two cats, Nigel and Naomi, might want to get out of their carriers for the ride. Having never made a long trip with cats, Nicole thought nothing of it as she opened the car door and then Naomi’s carrier. Frightened, Naomi bolted.
As Nicole told the Asheville Citizen Times, “She ducked to go under the fence, and her tail slipped right through my hands.”
Nicole and her son Nicholas searched everywhere, but Naomi had given them the slip. The distraught cat mom called local authorities and shelters while she continued looking for hours. But with a job interview in Chicago scheduled for the next day, Nicole had to go.
“Driving off was the hardest thing,” Nicole explained. “I drove off, and I think I went about 3 miles before turning around and going back to look for her. I still couldn’t find her, so we drove to Chicago. It was the worst feeling.”
But this persistent cat mom never gave up. Over the next two years, Nicole would return to Asheville five times, searching for her precious cat. She hoped to hear word from her flyers and posts to online groups. Finally, Nicole got the call she’d so fiercely wanted.
Finding A Lost Cat Among the Ferals
Friends2Ferals works to improve the lives of Ashville community cats through TNR efforts. Dealing primarily with feral cats, these cat lovers can often spot a cat who’s lost from home among the wilder cats of the area. Nancy Schneiter, Friends2Ferals’ founder, said that was the case when volunteer Sam Glaze caught a new gray cat she’d not seen hanging around the Bojangles on Smokey Park Highway in Asheville.
“Sam said, ‘I’m pretty sure (the cat’s) friendly,’ and one of my other volunteers took a look first, and said, ‘Yeah, she looks like she may have been an owned cat at one point.’”
So, they headed for Paws Mobile Veterinary Clinic for a microchip scan. The scan revealed the kitty indeed had a chip, as well as Nicole’s updated contact information.
Getting the call that Naomi had been found, Nicole said, “I cried. I jumped up and down.”
Nancy said the joy on their end was immediate “because everybody who’s in animal welfare — this is their best.”
Naomi’s empty carrier has been waiting to bring her home for two years. Now, thanks to devoted cat lovers and a microchip, that chance is close at hand. And Nicole wanted Naomi to know her family never gave up hope, sharing, “I took a picture of the collar and sent it to Nancy.”
“I said, ‘Tell Naomi, I still have her collar. I never gave it away.’”
Nancy has agreed to keep Naomi until Nicole returns to North Carolina next week to celebrate the holidays. It’s going to be one heartwarming reunion!
H/T: www.citizen-times.com
Feature Image: Nicole Watkins via Asheville Citizen Times
