Sheffield cat lost in snowstorm reunited with owners after three years thanks to microchip

A cat has been reunited with his family in Sheffield after going missing in a snowstorm three years ago, thanks to his microchip.

Oscar disappeared in January 2020 after being caught out in unexpected heavy snow, which was particularly worrying due to him being 12 years old.

His owner Katie Salt, aged 39, said: "I walked the streets at night for miles and hours shouting his name, rattling his food, for weeks on end, to no avail."

Katie and her family contacted neighbours who checked their CCTV, outhouses, and gardens, and put posters up in the area and on social media, and reported him missing to local shelters and vets.

She added: "We eventually concluded he must have died during the snowstorm, but we still scanned our eyes everywhere, whenever we were out driving, and would stop and check over cats that looked like him wherever we were.

"It was the not knowing that was the hardest part."

Then, almost three years after Oscar went missing, Katie received a phone call from a vet saying they had him, and he had been living in a garden about six miles away from home.

He had been given outdoor shelter and kept fed, but not checked for a microchip until vets heard his background and decided to check for one.

Katie said: "They immediately phoned me and I collected him within the hour. He remembered us, his name and his home.

"He's not stopped purring since he came home and wants cuddles all the time. We are so happy that he's now spending his days warm at home where he belongs."

Oscar’s microchip details, with various phone numbers and the right address helped him find his way back home. 

Bill Lambert, spokesperson for Petlog, the database which held Oscar’s details, said: "We’re so pleased that Oscar and Katie have been reunited. Their story shows just how important it is for owners to chip their pets, keep their contact details up-to-date with their microchip database, and to hold out hope no matter how much time has passed."

A microchip is the size of a grain of rice which is inserted under the skin at the back of an animal’s neck. 

It permanently identifies pets and connects them with an owner’s contact details, which are held on a database so vets, local authorities and animal charities can scan it and match it to owners, with the aim of reuniting stolen, lost and found pets. 

Further advice about keeping your pet safe, as well as information about microchipping and how to register with Petlog, can be found at petlog.org.uk.