Thanks to a microchip, a family cat mourned as dead turned up three years later in the Brandon, County Durham community.
It all began when Sharon Fox and her daughter Lauren lost their cat Sidney in early 2016. Despite putting up posters, Sidney wasn’t found alive but a cat matching his description had been found dead and taken to a landfill by the Durham County Council without bothering to scan for a microchip. They later apologized and admitted an oversight was made.
Missing since March 2016, Sidney turned up in a field near Bishop Auckland Hospital. He was 12 miles from where he disappeared on Tiree Close in Brandon. He’d been with the family since he turned up on their doorstep as a kitten. It’s believed he hitch a ride in someone’s vehicle to end up so far from home.
Sharon stated in an interview with Metro.co.uk
‘We had already mourned Sidney. We’d been sent a picture of him lying dead on the side of the road. ‘But this woman was adamant she had him with her. She said: “Have you got a cat called Sidney?” We thought it was a sick joke at first. ‘She said that she’d checked the cat’s microchip and Sidney’s name came up along with my mam’s phone number and address. He has lost almost all of his teeth because he must have been eating animals which are tough to chew such as mice, rats and birds. ‘Sidney has obviously been in fights because he has marks on his head and he had a split lip, which has now healed.’
Sharon and her daughter at first thought someone was playing a cruel joke on the family and went to the woman’s house where they were reunited with their lost cat. The woman who took him in had spotted him in the brambles and began feeding him, as she does many cats in her area. She eventually caught Sidney and made the reunion possible by having him checked for a microchip.
After all this time Sidney still remembered his family and presented his tummy for a belly rub. Without the microchip, it’s unlikely Sidney would ever have made it home.
Note: Brandon is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated a short distance to the southwest of Durham. Brandon was originally one of the seven townships within the ancient parish of Brancepeth.
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So glad they have their baby back!! Microchips are so important!! I do suggest that no cats should ever be allowed to go outside without a leash and their guardian. There are just too many assholes waiting to pounce on the innocent. Inside is safer for them.
Hurray for Sidney, the responsible, kind lady who fed him and got him scanned & the inventor of the microchip!
Keep those chip details updated folks, even if your cat is lost, that chip can save the day, save your cat and in the worst case scenario, bring you closure.
That is amazing, and all of you out there need to keep your friends and family updated on how important it is to make SURE that your microchip company has the latest address and *phone*