NEED TO KNOW
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Dodger the cat, found in California, reunited with his family in Florida thanks to a microchip
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The Davidson family drove seven hours from Georgia to Florida to reunite with Dodger, who received a free flight from an animal rescuer
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Fresno Trap and Release highlighted the story as a reminder of the importance of microchipping pets
A cat that went missing in California seven years ago has been reunited with his family in Florida after making a more than 2,500-mile journey.
On Saturday, March 28, Sydney Sherman from Fresno Trap and Release posted on Facebook that a cat named Dodger was brought to the non-profit organization as a stray for neutering.
Before the procedure, Sherman noted that Dodger had a microchip loaded with contact information; information that led Sherman to a family who had been missing for seven years, identified by local news outlet Your Central Valley as the Davidsons.
“It was like 11 o’clock at night, and I get this email saying Dodger has been scanned into Fresno TNR,” Amber Davidson, who hadn’t seen her missing pet since 2018, told the outlet.
Dodger the cat
Credit: Fresno T.N.R./Instagram
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Dodger went missing when the Davidson family made an emergency move from Fresno to Florida in December 2018. During the move, Dodger’s family left him with a trusted individual, but unfortunately, the cat disappeared before the Davidsons settled in Florida. The cat was still lost when the family subsequently moved to Georgia.
The Davidsons were eager to reunite with Dodger after so much time apart. After conversations with the family, Sherman, who often flies to Florida and already had a flight booked for March 24, suggested she could bring Dodger the more than 2,500 miles to Florida so the Davidson family could reunite with their long-lost pet.
Dodger the cat
Credit: Fresno T.N.R./Instagram
“After a long month of sharing video, pictures, and face-timing his family, the day of departure arrived,” Sherman wrote on Facebook. “He was ready to fly!”
Dodger’s family drove seven hours from Georgia to Florida to meet Sherman at 5:00 a.m. and “pick up their sweet little man.”
“We were all very happy to finally have him home where he belongs with his boys. However, it was bittersweet as me, and many other kennel staff, had grown to love the handsome, talkative, and overly sweet little Dodger during the month he stayed with us,” Sherman continued. “Thank you, Amber Davidson-Orozco and family, for staying dedicated to your boy and loving him once again.”
In her post, Sherman highlighted that the story served as a reminder of the importance of microchipping pets.
Read the original article on People