It had been seven long years since Kiki, the beloved feline of the Lapthorne family, had gone missing. Their adventurous torbie girl had disappeared in the area of Stowmarket, Suffolk in England. They eventually accepted that she was gone from their lives. 
But after seven mysterious years, Kiki is back home with her original owners!
The wandering feline had been brought into a local shelter as a stray recently. And the staff at the Haughley & Thurston Vets, Stowmarket location had followed their standard protocols. During her initial exam, they scanned her for a microchip.
And surprise, surprise; the tortie/tabby colored cat named Kiki had one!
They traced back the information listed within the microchip database, and located her original family. When they learned that Kiki had been found ALIVE, they were shocked. Not to mention, she was found 10 miles from the home!
‘It was a typical Monday morning,’ says Simon Lapthorne, Kiki’s owner. ‘I was at my desk working when the phone rang and a vet told me Kiki had been brought to them as a stray. ‘I was flabbergasted, really!’
For a long time, we’d stopped believing she’d come back. She was never one for cuddling up by the fire – she’s always been adventurous.
Not knowing anything about what Kiki had experienced over the missing seven years, she was thankfully relatively healthy.
It’s likely she was able to either find a stray or feral colony to reside with. Regular feeders and colony caretakers travel to “clowders” of outdoor cats to feed and monitor their health daily. This doesn’t attract more cats necessarily, as many think. But once there is a controlled care and available food sources (human or natural), cats will usually remain in the area. If they are removed, it’s not long before others move into the location. 
It’s also possible that she may have been welcomed into someone’s home for a time. But when she arrived at the rescue, she was showing a bit of “wear and tear”. Kiki needed to warm up and put on some much needed weight. She did have a wound on her side, but they made sure that she was cared for before delivering her home.
The team informed Mr. Lapthorne that Kiki was very cold, thin and had sustained a wound to her side. ‘They were excellent,’ he says. ‘Keen to ensure she was in good condition before she went home.’
Their family has grown in the meantime, now with 4 children in the home to shower her with love. They were able to pick up Kiki the next day and welcome her back into their family.
And her human family is sure to give credit to the one small, rice grain sized miracle that made it possible.
The shelter took the opportunity to review why this is so important as well. Joining their promotions was Jax. He’s a cute tuxedo kitten who showed how easily it was to have the microchip implanted. 
‘This is a great example of why microchipping is such a good idea. It would have been impossible to reunite us otherwise,’ Simon adds. ‘I’d love to know what she’s been up to for the past seven years’.
CONGRATS TO THE LAPTHORNE’S, KIKI and THANK YOU to Haughley & Thurston Vets for taking the extra steps to reunite this family!
Photos property of Haughley & Thurston Vets
REMEMBER: ADOPT, DON’T SHOP, MICROCHIP YOUR PETS & SPAY AND NEUTER!
Related Story: How To Tell The Difference Between Torbie, Tortie, Calico And Tabby Coat Color
Related Story: Microchip Leads Cat Missing For Over 5 YEARS Back To One Happy & Shocked Family!
