Santa Rosa cat, missing 13 years, is back home
Another happy ending thanks to microchipping.
The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BABC142V0J.DTL
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008 (SF Chronicle) Santa Rosa cat, missing 13 years, is back home Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer
(11-11) 22:26 PST Santa Rosa -- More than 13 years after he went missing from his Santa Rosa home, George the cat is back.
"I was blown away," Frank Walburg said of the unexpected return of his missing feline. "Such a big chunk of time has passed."
George was reunited with Walburg and his wife, Melinda Merman, both dedicated cat companions, last Wednesday after Sonoma County Animal Care and Control officers rescued him from a mobile home park - just 3 miles from their home - at the request of the manager.
Authorities scanned the kitty and found an implanted microchip that was encoded with identifying information that they were able to trace back to the couple.
Walburg and Merman arrived at the shelter within 20 minutes after they got the call and saw a cat that was about half the weight of George 13 years ago. But the gray and chestnut coat and the black nose were the same, and so was the distinctive jowl.
Although now weighing a little more than 6 pounds with a skeletal frame, "There was no ambiguity that he was the same dude, no doubt about it,"
Walburg said.
George, sickened with an upper respiratory infection and newly diagnosed with toxoplasmosis, a parasitical disease that can cause lethargy and weight loss but that can be successfully treated with antibiotics, is not as feisty as he was when he disappeared June 23, 1995.
In the first months after George vanished, Walburg and Merman plastered the neighborhood with missing cat signs, regularly visited the animal shelters, notified local veterinarian offices and posted a $500 reward. As time passed, the couple's hope of finding him dimmed, "but we always thought about him," Walburg said.
Last week, he spoke to the woman who had George and learned that she had named him "Puka" and that he had shown up at her mobile home eight to 12 weeks after he had gone missing. How he got there remains a mystery, though Walburg said George was known to jump into cars from time to time.
Back in 1995, George, the offspring of a feral cat, was 3 1/2 years old and living with his three litter mates, Klaus, Ira and Grace, in the cat-friendly home of Walburg and Merman. Ira and Klaus died, but Foxy, Spook and Sam have since joined the pack.
Grace has stopped by once in the past week to visit her long-lost brother but seemed to show more interest in his chicken feast than him.
Because of George's health problems and advanced age - he's nearing 17 - his prognosis is uncertain, but Walburg remains hopeful. George is being fed chicken baby food mixed with chicken broth and has shown signs of rallying in recent days. His appetite is up and he's somewhat playful.
He spends most of his time sleeping on a heating pad, but every day gets carried into the backyard, which is planted with catnip, for fresh air.
"The selfish part of me wants him back and healthy and ready to play again," Walburg said on a blog he writes. "I don't know if that's even possible, so I've found myself making small bargains with a God I've never believed in and want whatever is best (for) him."
E-mail Rachel Gordon at [email protected]. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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