A cat in France has been reunited with her family after more than six years, reports Newsweek. Choupette went missing from Parigné-sur-Braye back in May 2017, leaving her owners — Stéphanie and Mathieu Bernard — utterly heartbroken. However, they were delighted to hear their beloved pet was found when they received an unexpected call last month.
Missing cat found by stranger
The couple received a phone call from a stranger who said he’d found their cat. The Bernards were initially not convinced, but when the cat’s physical descriptions matched, they were ecstatic.
The person who found Choupette managed to track down the owners thanks to the feline’s microchip. He found the feline in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Savoie, about 490 miles away from the cat’s original home.
“This gentleman volunteers in an animal shelter,” Stéphanie said during an interaction with the French newspaper Le Courrier de la Mayenne. “And he had the good instinct to have his microchip read.”
The feline went missing on the night of May 17, 2023, from the couple’s home in Parigné-sur-Braye. “It was an evening when it was very hot,” Mathieu said. “Choupette had gone out, and we had left the window open, but she never came back.” After their pet disappeared, the couple looked for her everywhere and put up posters and flyers, but to no avail.
With the help of one of their neighbors who was in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne at the time, the Bernards reunited with their beloved pet. “She may have been lost to us for a while,” the couple said. “But she was never far from our hearts.” Continuing, they added, “We’re grateful for this second chance to be reunited with our beloved furry friend.”
The power of microchipping your pets
The incident further illustrates the importance of microchipping your pets. In the unfortunate event of your cat disappearing, a microchip can help you reunite with your pet. The person who finds the cat can scan the chip and track down their owners. Additionally, it’s also important to keep your cat’s microchip updated if your phone number or address has changed.
