Community / Owners delighted after Whiteness cat found in Lerwick more than nine weeks after going missing
A CAT found in Lerwick has been reunited with his “elated” owners from Whiteness after going missing just over nine weeks ago – all thanks to his microchip and a helpful taxi driver.
Jackson was found on Tuesday by Zoe Henry from Allied Taxis in Lerwick, who took him in overnight before handing him to the Shetland Vets in Scalloway to see if he was microchipped.
It turns out the cat was indeed chipped, and his owners were able to be traced.
The Moncrieff family from Whiteness, who own Jackson, said their ten-year-old cat had gone missing more than nine weeks ago.
They said they were elated to have the cat back, having given up hope of finding him again.
And they believe Jackson is delighted to be back too, especially as he is essentially a house cat.
The couple said the cat, who is on a special vet’s diet, has lost just over 1.5 kilograms during his travels.
There remains some mystery over what Jackson has been up to for the last nine weeks, or how he managed to get from Whiteness to Lerwick, which is a number of miles away.
With building work going on nearby, the Moncrieff’s wonder if he had jumped in a works van and gone on his travels.
They are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen Jackson over the last nine weeks.
Debbie Caithness from Shetland Vets said the cat had been “looking lost” when he was found.
“We scanned him, looking for a microchip, and were delighted when the number popped up,” she said.
“We were able to put the number into our system and it came up as Jackson.
“The team made the call to his owner to say he was with us, and they rushed down to collect him. It’s always lovely to reunite pets with owners under happy circumstances.
“Even more so when they’ve covered a bit of distance!”
Caithness said while Jackson’s story has a very happy ending, the vets sometimes cannot trace owners for cats brought in – whether they are stray, injured or sadly deceased.
“This story really does highlight the importance of having your cat microchipped and keeping your contact details up to date,” she said.
“If you have any queries regarding microchipping at all, the team at Shetland Vets would be happy to discuss.”
Henry, who found the cat, said she was “over the moon” that Jackson had been returned to his owners.
“He was found down past our office and he managed to get him into the office,” she said.
“He was very affectionate and you could tell he’d been on the run for a while as he was skinny and looking for food. I fed him some ham out the fridge and gave him milk.”
The taxi company put out a post on Facebook about the cat but never heard anything back.
“I went and bought cat litter, food, a tray and bowls and my pal gave me a cat carrier and took him up to mine,” Henry added.
“As soon as he got in the house he was relieved to lie on a blanket I think and be cosy.
“I became kinda attached to him overnight, but thought the right thing to do was take him to the vet and check for a microchip.
“And lo and behold – he’s a Whiteness cat, that’s where I’m from and I’m so over the moon they have gotten him back after months of the thought of losing him.”
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