17 year old cat Kitty's incredible journey

17-year-old cat makes incredible journey from New Jersey to Georgia and back

In 2005, a middle-aged cat named Kitty was adopted from Tabby’s Place: a Cat Sanctuary.

Ten years later, Kitty’s back in town.

When Kitty was adopted in 2005, the Tabby’s Place staff kissed her, wished her well, and never expected to see her again. But this year, the cat sanctuary received a call about Kitty from animal control…in Atlanta, GA.

A shelter in Georgia had picked up the lovely black cat as a stray. When they scanned her for a microchip, they found a chip registered to Tabby’s Place. Bewildered by how the friendly feline could have journeyed 843 miles, the Atlanta shelter asked: “Would you, by any chance, like her back?”

For Tabby’s Place, there was no need to think twice. Faithful to the promise “once a Tabby’s Place cat, always a Tabby’s Place cat,” the sanctuary arranged for a “relay” of rescuers to transport Kitty up the coast and home to New Jersey.

A thorough search for Kitty’s owners, who had taken her to Georgia with them, failed to locate them, as though they had disappeared without a trace.

Now seventeen years old, the snuggly cat is bubbling over with youthful energy. If her age weren’t on record from 2005, neither the Georgia shelter nor Tabby’s Place’s veterinarian would have estimated her advanced age. Although elderly cats are generally considered “less adoptable,” Kitty has continued to defy the odds. The spry senior has already been scooped up, and is flourishing in her new home.

It’s a triumphant tale for one fortunate feline – and a reminder of the life-saving power of a microchip.

In celebration of Kitty’s incredible journey, and to help local pets, Tabby’s Place is hosting a microchipping clinic for cats and dogs on Sunday, November 8th, from 12-4 PM. Microchipping is free for the first 100 pets, and guests should register online at www.tabbysplace.org to secure a spot.

Kitty’s story is told in greater detail by Angela Townsend in the Tabby’s Place blog post Jersey on her Georgian mind.

Tabby’s Place: a Cat Sanctuary is a cage-free, no-kill sanctuary for cats rescued from hopeless situations, located in Ringoes, New Jersey. Anyone who wants to help with their mission and programs (including the free microchipping clinic) can donate HERE.

See more stories about Tabby’s Place cats at our site, HERE.