Microchip, Strangers Reunite Lost Cat, Owner

Kelly Damron, of Cary, was reunited Wednesday with her long-lost furry friend, Dagney, at a shelter run by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Wake County.

Dagney ran away 10 days after the birth of Damron's first child. The family had also recently moved, possibly confusing the cat, Damron said.

Damron said she didn't give up hope of Dagney's returning or, at least, being cared for by another family.

"I knew in my heart. I still have a picture up in my living room, and when my kids were old enough to explain, I said, 'That's my baby, and he's out there somewhere. And maybe someone needs him more than I need him as my pet,'" said Damron.

"When it was really hot or really cold, I used to think, 'I hope he's okay. I hope somebody's loving him,'" said Damron.

A family who spotted Dagney six months after she went missing fulfilled her hopes.

The family began feeding the cat six months ago, and when they moved, took Dagney to the SPCA, hoping he would be adopted.

There, workers scanned Dagney and found his microchip, which led them to Damron and reunited her with Dagney.

The Wake SPCA said it places microchips in all the animals adopted from its shelters. The cost of a chip varies, and installation must be done by a veterinarian, SPCA workers said.

Damron said the small investment in the chip was more than worth having her cat home.

"$20 to $25, that's not much to have your pet returned to you. And just keep in mind, collars fall off, tags fall off. But a microchip is with a pet for life," said Damron.

Damron also expressed thanks to the family that took to Dagney the SPCA.

"I'm just happy someone fed him. And thank you to the people who fed my baby," said Damron.