We have probably all wished at some stage our pet could talk – and what a tale this moggy could tell.
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Sam, an adorable domestic short hair, has just been reunited with his owner after nine years being apart.
Jennifer Street and her husband Nigel Guest drove more than five hours from their home at Grafton to collect Sam from Jennifer’s parents at Clarence Town.
He had been handed in to Dungog Council as a stray and because he was microchipped, council officers could contact his owner.
The moggy obviously been well loved in his time out of Jennifer’s care.
But he certainly didn’t forget his first owner, happily curled in her lap and purring within minutes of their reunion.
Sam’s tale starts when Jennifer first took the 10-week old kitten home with her to live in Sydney in 2001.
The family had multiple moves including a short time in Dungog and he was quite content according to Jennifer until the move to Maitland.
“He moved out on us and moved in with the neighbours when we were in Lorn,” she laughed.
“He just didn’t want to come in the house and so when we moved, we left him with the neighbours.
“When I got the phone call (from Dungog Council) to say they had my cat, I didn’t think it was Sam, as another cat we had went missing when we lived in Dungog.
“But it was Sam. We weren’t even sure if he was still alive. It’s all a bit amazing.
“He’s such a lovely boy.”
The couple are puzzled that he turned up in Dungog as he had lived longer in Lorn than in Dungog.
Nigel believes Sam may have gone missing from his adopted owners in Dungog when they were passing through.
They don’t recall the adopted owners’ names but remembered they used to enjoy caravanning and would take Sam with them on holidays.
Jennifer and Nigel were keen to see how Sam will fit back into the family fold – which has grown to include three cats and two dogs.
But 10-year-old daughter Catriona’s excitement is sure to be enough to make the transition easy as she was particularly eager for the return of the moggy.
Dungog Shire Council’s Environmental Compliance Officer, Holley Patterson, said Sam’s story was testament to how important microchipping is.
“This just goes to show that microchipping does re-unite lost pets with their owners.
“These stories warm my heart.”
