Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/missing-senior-cat-berk/

If you haven’t microchipped your pet, the heartwarming story of a lost senior cat reunited with his family after 6 months might make you change your mind.

According to Newsweek, a Wisconsin cat named Berkley was moving to Washington State with his family when disaster struck. The 12-year-old cat’s owner, Amy O’Shea, had stopped at a campground to rest when the cat slipped out of the family’s RV and disappeared.

But while Berkley’s family frantically searched the campground, cats–especially frightened cats–are masters at hiding. It would be another 6 months before campers found the gray feline curled up in a campground shed.

“They weren’t sure if he wanted to get warm, or if he thought it was his home,” a representative from the Dane County Humane Society told Newsweek. Just in case, the campers brought the cat to the shelter.

But while Berkeley was thankfully out of the cold, the cat’s family reunion still wasn’t assured. When shelter workers scanned the senior cat for a chip, they found owner’s contact information was out-of-date.

Thankfully, the shelter managed to contact Berkley’s first owner, Lou Vancil, who had gotten the cat 12 years before from a woman who found the kitten in her garage. Lou recalled the kitten’s early days as in a lengthy Facebook post.

“He was clearly too young to be away from mom, but mom was nowhere to be found,” wrote Lou, who adopted “Berk” with his girlfriend at the time. But when the couple broke up, Berkeley went to live with Lou’s ex, who eventually gave him to Amy O’Shea.

“When my ex and I split up she took Berk with her as to not split him up from her cat, Baby Girl, who he had bonded with,” Lou explained. “She eventually adopted them out as a pair to a loving family.”

Fortunately, Lou still had Amy’s email, which he gave to the shelter. Berkeley’s family had just about given up hope of seeing their cat again when heard the good news.

“We are super relieved and very excited to be reunited with Berkeley,” O’Shea told the news magazine. “My daughter put it very nicely. She said ‘Finally, the whole family will be together again.’”

But Berkeley still isn’t quite healthy enough to travel. During those 6 lonely months without his family, the senior cat reportedlylost nearly half his body weight.

Thankfully, Berk–who is currently living in foster care–is growing healthier each day. If the elderly cat gets a clean bill of health at his vet visit, he might even be back with his family by Thanksgiving.

Big thanks to everyone who made Berk’s rescue and reunion possible! Let this story be a reminder to microchip your pets and always keep that contact information up-to-date.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog