5 Years After Hurricane Katrina a Kitty Makes His Way Back Home

I remember back when I was a child reading the famous "Lassie Come Home" story. That story, about a dog who made his way back home after being lost for a long time, was brought back to mind when I heard about Scrub, a cat who made his way back home 5 years after he disappeared.

Jennifer Noble taught the Animal Humane Society must have had the wrong cat when she listened to a message left on her husband's answering machine. The message said that they had a pet brought in with information on his microchip. A quick scan of the microchip implanted in Scrub revealed he was the Noble's long-lost cat.

According to the humane society's director, there was no other way that the cat would have found its rightful owners without the implanted microchip. It's the power of microchipping, the humane society said. Scrub had been a gift from Jennifer Nobles husband Chris and Jennifer evidently had the cat implanted with the microchip.

Jennifer Noble said Scrub had been an indoor cat but because of all the heat and humidity and lack of electricity after Hurricane Katrina, the family had to leave their doors and windows open. Scrub started to roam outside and one day didn't just didn't come back home. The Russian blue and tabby cat with grey and white fur was about 2 years old when he disappeared.

He was brought to the humane society by a woman who had been feeding him as a stray for a month or two. With a cold snap about to set in, the woman decided to bring him to the humane society in South Mississippi. The Nobles lived about 15 miles from where the benefactors lived in Gulfport.

Five years after Scrub failed to return home after the devastating Hurricane Katrina hit the area, he is now back home with his rightful owners. Except for a few battle scars and a slightly more wild Scrub, the cat is in good health.

Jennifer said Scrub seemed frighted for the first few hours when he got back home but then calmed down and became more relaxed. By the time the Noble boys went to sleep the first night, Scrub crawled into their bed and went to sleep. Jennifer Nobles said Scrub always slept underneath a blanket on somebody's bed. After everyone had settled in for the night, Jennifer said she had no doubt that this was the Scrub who had disappeared 5 years ago from their home.

This dramatic story, with a very happy ending couldn't be a more "purrfect" Christmas tale.

Sources: heardonline.com
cbsnews.com/stories/2010/12/08