Smokey, an 11-year-old cat from Nottingham who went missing a decade ago, has been reunited with his owner thanks to his microchip.
Sam Hope, aged 53, from Jacsdale adopted Smokey from a rescue centre when he was a year old, but sadly, just six months later, he disappeared and remained missing for a decade.
Despite searching and hoping for a reunion, Sam heard nothing until this month, when he received an unexpected call saying Smokey had been found.
A local woman had found Smokey and took him to the vet, where his microchip, registered with the lost and found database Petlog, was scanned to reveal Sam’s details, and the pair were reunited—10 years after Smokey first disappeared.
“I was so sad when I lost him,” Sam said. “When I received the call, I was overjoyed to know he was okay. I’d just started thinking about getting another cat after my other cats passed away, so this feels like it was meant to be.”
Now adjusting to indoor life with Sam, Smokey is safe and settling back into a quiet home. “He’s doing okay,” Sam shared. “He sleeps a lot and is still very shy, but I’m confident that being just the two of us will help him come out of his shell. He deserves to feel secure and loved.”
Petlog spokesperson Bill Lambert commented: “We are delighted that Smokey has been reunited with Sam after so many years.
“Microchipping is a simple but important way to give pets the best chance of being reunited with their owners if they go missing, and we urge everyone to keep their contact information up to date with a microchipping database like Petlog.”
A microchip, the size of a grain of rice, is placed under the skin at the back of the animal’s neck. It links pets to their owners’ contact details, held on databases like Petlog, allowing vets, local authorities, and animal charities to scan the chip and match it to the owner. Microchipping is effective in reuniting lost and found pets with their families only when owners’ contact details are up to date.
