Cat missing for 1 year reunited with family thanks to microchip

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A cat was reunited with his family after he vanished nearly a year ago. 

The reunion happened at Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh on Thursday night, all because the bold kitty was microchipped, and it just happened to be National Check the Chip Day.

The cat, named Juni, has quite a tale to tell.  

The family had just moved from Colorado to Pittsburgh, and when they got to their new home, their sneaky grey feline bolted from the car.

“The family just gets to Pittsburgh, and the cat escapes, and they had almost given up hope that they would ever be reconnected,” said Michele Frennier, HARP’s marketing director.

Frennier said the family desperately searched, and another family took Juni in after the escape artist with whiskers showed up on their porch.

“It seems that he was close by, maybe about nine miles away from where the family had moved to where this new family had found him. Taking him in, he was kind of hanging around, so he was well taken care of. After about six to eight months, things weren’t working out. Other cats they had in the home were not getting along. So, they made the decision to surrender him to HARP,” she said.

Juni was in luck when he arrived at HARP. Frennier said they scanned the mysterious cat to find out if he had a microchip, and his true identity was revealed.

“They reached out to the owner that was registered on the microchip, and as they say, the rest is history,” Frennier said.

She said this heartwarming reunion is an important reminder to get your pets microchipped. She said a collar with a tag isn’t always reliable. The permanent identification is implanted under the skin, it’s painless, and doesn’t cost a lot.

“If that pet escapes, something happens, they slip out of that collar. That microchip is there, and, you know, veterinarian offices have them, police stations have them, animal control has them. It’s a very simple way to try and get those pets back to the owners they love,” Frennier said.

That tiny chip made this reunion possible, which was the perfect ending to Juni’s adventurous story.

All pets adopted from HARP are microchipped. Microchipping is available at HARP’s medical center. It costs $30. They also provide chips at low-cost vaccine clinics. 

Learn more and how to contact HARP here.