NEED TO KNOW

• Pet owner Angela Furnival was reunited with her black cat, Sam, on March 21 after he went missing in May 2014

• Sam was found just a half mile from his former home. Rescuera believed that he was living outside and surviving on food scraps

• “When I got the call, I honestly couldn’t believe it; it was just wonderful. I assumed that Sam wouldn’t return,” Furnival said

A beloved lost cat is back with his owner after 12 years away.

Pet owner Angela Furnival was reunited with her black cat, Sam, on March 21 after he went missing in May 2014.

Sam was found a half mile from his former home in Stourbridge, England. Rescuers believe the feline had spent over a decade outdoors, surviving harsh winters sustained on scraps from nearby residents.

Furnival, now 63, was informed by a veterinarian on March 20 that Sam had been found. A couple spotted the 15-year-old feline outside their new apartment and reported him to a rescue charity called Paws Together Enville, which brought him to a veterinary hospital.

“After more than a decade on the streets, we rescued a stray cat with health issues, only to be able to reunite him with his owner. His lovely owner, Angela, had never given up hope, but after twelve years of nothing, she was close,” Paws Together Enville shared on Facebook, along with a clip of Furnival and Sam reuniting.

“This is the moment Sammy’s lovely owner met him again after over a decade. He clearly knew her and it was so emotional,” the rescue added.

The owner, who currently lives in the nearby town of Kidderminster, recalled the moment she received the shocking news. “When I got the call, I honestly couldn’t believe it; it was just wonderful. I assumed that Sam wouldn’t return,” she said, per SWNS.

Furnival got Sam and his brother Toby from a local rescue in 2011. After they adjusted to their new home, the woman said she began to let the cats go outside. But on one occasion, “Sam didn’t come back after I let him out to explore,” she said.

“It was heartbreaking. I went out putting notes and letters out, and I checked the nearby school and fields. But he never came back, and I never found him,” Furnival said.

She moved to her current town in 2016, after Sam had been missing for two years. “You come to terms with the fact that you hope someone has taken him in and been looking after him,” she said.

Furnival was surprised that Sam was found “five minutes from where I used to live in Stourbridge.”

“He was by a block of flats, and I think they were giving him scraps. A couple moved in and wanted to adopt some kittens from a charity, and they mentioned they’d seen Sam looking unwell in passing,” she said.

Sam’s pet parent said she had been in that area “many times” to look for Sam. Thankfully, the cat was microchipped, which allowed him to be reunited with his owner.

The cat was treated for an ear infection and a thyroid problem at the hospital.

Furnival’s joyful reunion with her feline friend felt like “nothing had happened.” She said, per SWNS, that Sam “came to the front and he was purring straight away, it was like he’d never been away.”

The clip of Sam’s reunion with his loving owner shows the black cat rolling over in front of Furnival, letting her pet his belly.

“The vets said he hadn’t been like this at all. He was quiet and reserved,” the pet owner said. “The vet said he would’ve remembered me. I can only assume he did. It’s a bit bizarre. All those winters and that cold, it’s pretty amazing that he survived.”

Now, Sam is living with Furnival and her small dog as an indoor cat. Unfortunately, Toby, Sam’s brother, died about six years ago.

Furnival said her story “goes to show how important it is to get your animals microchipped.”

“Not only that, but also keep your information up to date, too. It could make a massive difference,” she added.

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Many shelters and veterinary hospitals are quick to scan animals for a microchip when they are found and brought in, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). If the lost animal has a microchip with accurate information, it is easy to contact the owner.

A 2009 study of over 7,700 stray animals at shelters in 23 states found that “microchipped animals are far more likely to be returned to their owners,” according to the AVMA.

“For microchipped animals that weren’t returned to their owners, the most common reason was an incorrect or disconnected owner telephone number in the microchip registry database,” the nonprofit said.

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