A cat that went missing on Mother’s Day last year has been reunited with its family thanks to a microchip.
The Kloof tabby, which went missing for 18 months, longer than the owner had owned her, is according to the Hillcrest and Kloof SPCA, testament to why pet lovers must microchip their animals.
Ragz was reunited with her owner Karen Gover earlier this week.
“I had just moved to Kloof and rented a home which I have since left. Ragz had not yet been let out of the cattery to even explore the home as the movers had been in and out of the house.
“That evening she was locked in a closed room. I did not notice a small high window that was slightly ajar which she slipped through,” said Gover.
Gover said she did what any pet loving owner would do. She put up posters, alerted community groups and even asked the nearby shopping centre security guards to keep an eye out for her.
“The guards, without being asked, would phone me every time they saw a stray. I would rush over but sadly each time it was not Ragz,” said Gover.
Gover said she eventually thought that either Ragz, who was only 17 months old at the time, was in “kittie heaven” or had found a new home.
“I have since spoken to the woman who brought Ragz to the SPCA. She had also lived in Kloof at the time, but has since moved to Hillcrest.
“She said eight months ago Ragz moved in with her and had been renamed Annabelle so we don’t know where she was for 10 months,” said Gover.
Gover said Ragz’s adopted owner could no longer keep her, which is why she took her to the SPCA.
According to Hillcrest and Kloof SPCA spokesperson Lisa Gadd when Ragz was brought in they did a standard scan for a microchip.
“As the scanner was moved over the cat’s body, the sharp beep rang out and the clinic staff were very pleased they could timeously contact an owner. The details were easily looked up online and the owner contacted.
“It was absolutely amazing and so emotional to see a owner reunited with a beloved pet, which they believed they would never see again,” said Gadd.
Gover said she had yet to reintroduce Ragz back into the home as she had been at the vet all week.
