Meow-zer! A brown tabby feline by the name of Brandy was reunited last week after she went missing 15 years ago.
“It’s amazing. I think it’s unbelievable,” Charles, who refrained from using his last name, told the Associated Press. “I saw her, I picked her up and she started to purr and it was very emotional. It was nice to have her in my arms again.”
In 2005, Charles adopted Brandy when she was just 2 months old. Just after adopting the cat, the owner let the kitten out to play in his backyard and she went missing.
“I did break down and cry because I thought about all of the years I lost from her,” he added.
“I was very sad,” he said. “I wanted her back because when I adopted her I made a moral obligation to take care of her for her life.”
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He of course quickly went to look for her, checking animal shelters and putting up signs — but was unsuccessful.
“But I was hoping someone would take her off the streets to take care of her, and I guess that’s what happened,” he said.
Later, Charles moved to the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, where he adopted two younger cats. While at home last week, he received a call last week from a Los Angeles County animal shelter in Palmdale (around 40 miles from his new home) revealing that they had found Brandy and traced the feline back to him using the pet’s microchip.
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“I was skeptical. I thought it must be a mistake,” Charles said of what he initially thought. “Maybe there’s a 1-in-a-million chance it’s Brandy. But after 15 years, it’s highly unlikely.”
Brandy was malnourished when the animal shelter found her, so Charles thinks someone took her in for much of the past 15 years, but that she went missing again several months ago. And while Brandy’s former owner won’t be able to take the long-lost cat due to his younger cats, thankfully, Charles’ sister, who lives nearby, offered to take Brandy in.
“She doesn’t have a lot of energy. But she seems very content,” Charles said. “She purrs a lot. She seems to be happy to have a home again.”