Missing Pet Cat Found Four Months Later in Different Country
"I couldn't believe it. That was around a six-hour drive from where Luna went missing," Luna's owner Sophie Carty said
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A cat in a cage stock image.A missing cat was found safe four months after disappearing — about 300 miles away.
Sophie Carty's dear cat Luna went missing in November 2024 from their home in Darlington, England, The Independent reported. The 25-year-old woman spent weeks searching and calling around, looking for any lead on Luna's whereabouts as the weather grew colder and more intense, but to no avail.
But in March, Carty's phone rang, and it brought a wave of elation: Luna was found alive inside a shed — in Inverness, Scotland. Luna was brought to Highland Vet Referrals, where her microchip was scanned and produced Carty's contact information.
Carty, overcome with emotion, was "inconsolable," she said, after "four months of heartache."
"I couldn't believe it. That was around a six-hour drive from where Luna went missing," Carty said. "We traveled the long journey to collect her and brought her home."
No one knows how Luna managed to travel such a great distance, across borders no less, Carty said. Perhaps she hopped on a vehicle, but Carty likes to imagine her cat "just fancied a little Highland holiday."
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Darlington, EnglandLuna was malnourished and had an infection and nerve damage. She had been brought into surgery, the veterinary office said, and was "fragile" but otherwise doing well.
Related: Pet Owners Praise 'Power of a Microchip' After Reuniting with Lost Cat 5 Years Later
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Her trip back to Carty's home in Darlington proved to be a difficult step for Luna — she "looked to be paralyzed on her back end," Carty said, and was exhausted. But after frequently visiting their local vet, who administrated antibiotics and painkillers, Luna's recovery hastened.
"She is up and moving (with assistance) and is happy to be home with us," Carty said. "She's getting loads of cuddles and attention, which she isn't complaining about."
Luna's microchip was her saving grace, and Carty is advocating for pet owners to keep their pets' chips up to date "because you never know when your cat might hitch a lift to visit Loch Ness."
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