Massachusetts cat missing since August 2013 reunited with his owner after being found 20 miles from home

This is the happy ending story of a beautiful tabby named Larry, who went out for a walk in Essex, Massachusetts in August 2013 and never returned. Thanks to a microchip, Larry was reunited last week with his owner after being trapped 20 miles from home in Salisbury.

cat reunited with family
Larry and Elinore (Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society)
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No one knows how Larry traveled so far or what he did to survive during the five-and-a-half years he was gone. A Salisbury resident spotted him in his backyard eating bread on March 7 and trapped him.

The person who trapped Larry took him to Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society. The shelter picked up a chip number and was able to track down information for his last known owner, Elinore Repucci.

Elinore had given up on her search for Larry. After several weeks she resigned herself to the probability that Larry had been killed by an animal since she lived close to a wooded area.

The two reunited on March 8 and is doing well at home. Despite missing some of his toes (no information on how), Larry is eating, purring and snuggling. Elinor said in an interview with Newbury Port News

“He was an indoor/outdoor cat at the time. He always came when he was called and he never went far. It was also drizzling out when I let him outside and I figured he would be back pretty soon. But he did not come back.[The vet was] amazed at how well he managed to survive.He is safe and loved. I am so grateful to the man who rescued him.”

Google Map

The only explanation Elinor can come up with is “It was raining out the day he got lost and I think he hung out in the back of somebody’s truck or something. Then, he got driven somewhere and has been trying to get back ever since. Or he was staying with someone who couldn’t keep him any longer.”

It’s nice to report on cats being reunited with family because of a microchip. There’s very little chance of this happening without a chip, especially when the cat wanders this far from home.

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