LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – It was a reunion unlikely for a Las Vegas family and their pet cat after the four-legged feline went missing not months, but years ago.
Lucipurr a 10-year-old cat waited a long two years to get back home. On Sunday, he was finally reunited with his owner, Katelyn Mendes.
One morning around mid-March, Mendes said she let Lucipurr out to use the restroom and the cat did not return.
“Hearing cats roam and spending weeks or months just looking and hoping he’d come back,” she recalled.
After posting pictures on social media and flyers around the neighborhood, Mendes and her husband were shocked to finally get the call they had been waiting for all along. They told NewsNation affiliate KLAS they were surprised about where he was found, which was inside a wall.
“A few stray cats were living inside of a wall in an alley, so she coaxed him out with food and was able to get him closer enough to catch him and bring him in,” Mendes told KLAS. “The rescuer lives six miles away, so just knowing he crossed six miles to be found again.”
She believes if it hadn’t been for Lucipurr’s microchip he might never have been found.
“The importance of how powerful it is to bring your pet back and how it worked for us and it was the best investment we did,” she added.
Dr. Mark Ben Paulino with Cactus Pet Hospital told KLAS with the amount of lost pets he sees weekly, microchipping is vital and a simple process.
“The microchip is the size of a rice grain, most animals do quite well and you can equivalent to getting an ear piercing,” he explained. “Microchips should be recommended for every pet.”
Mendes added that even though it’s been two years, she can tell Lucipurr is comfortable and knows he is home.