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Cat Found After 3 Years, Charlene Lanigan, of East Islip, never gave up hope after her cat, McGee, went missing three years ago from her home.
Lanigan says her cat disappeared out of a doggy door in Jan. 2010.
“I was devastated,” she said. “He's a wonderful cat. He's friendly. He's beautiful and when he didn't come back, being it was January, it was cold, I was heartbroken.”
Two months ago, Bob Boyle, of East Islip, found McGee wandering around his backyard. He says that the cat was too nice to be a stray. He said he took the cat to the Town of Islip Animal Shelter, where the cat’s microchip was scanned. McGee was then reunited with Lanigan. "This is an expensive, nice cat," Boyle remembers thinking when he found the cat. "What is he doing here?"
Boyle took McGee to the town shelter on Jan. 16, exactly three years after he went missing, hoping his owner might look for him there. When he asked the shelter to scan the cat for a microchip, they found Lanigan's name and number.
"I was there in 10 minutes; I flew to the shelter," Lanigan said, calling Boyle "my hero."
Shelter supervisor Joanne Daly said that finding a lost pet after so long is rare. A few years ago, the shelter took in a shih tzu mix that had been missing for four years, and reunited dog and owner.
"The woman reported the dog missing -- I believe she was from Queens -- and the dog was found out here," she said. "Small dogs, nice cats, people find these, and they just pick them up and keep them, or give them away."
Lanigan says her cat disappeared out of a doggy door in Jan. 2010.
“I was devastated,” she said. “He's a wonderful cat. He's friendly. He's beautiful and when he didn't come back, being it was January, it was cold, I was heartbroken.”
Two months ago, Bob Boyle, of East Islip, found McGee wandering around his backyard. He says that the cat was too nice to be a stray. He said he took the cat to the Town of Islip Animal Shelter, where the cat’s microchip was scanned. McGee was then reunited with Lanigan. "This is an expensive, nice cat," Boyle remembers thinking when he found the cat. "What is he doing here?"
Boyle took McGee to the town shelter on Jan. 16, exactly three years after he went missing, hoping his owner might look for him there. When he asked the shelter to scan the cat for a microchip, they found Lanigan's name and number.
"I was there in 10 minutes; I flew to the shelter," Lanigan said, calling Boyle "my hero."
Shelter supervisor Joanne Daly said that finding a lost pet after so long is rare. A few years ago, the shelter took in a shih tzu mix that had been missing for four years, and reunited dog and owner.
"The woman reported the dog missing -- I believe she was from Queens -- and the dog was found out here," she said. "Small dogs, nice cats, people find these, and they just pick them up and keep them, or give them away."
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