Oliver spent two years living a lavish domestic life with his loving family in Lake Zurich, Illinois.
But one day 10 years ago, something caused him to disappear from suburban bliss.
According to CBS Chicago, his family searched for him, but after finding nothing as the days turned into months, they started to believe that Oliver was hit by a car.
In reality, the tabby cat somehow made it 37 miles to Chicago’s River North neighborhood. There, he eventually found a feline-friendly security guard who fed him while she was on the job for at least six years.
When a local volunteer group dedicated to trapping, neutering/spaying and releasing feral cats heard about this supposed “friendly” feral, they picked him up and brought him in to PAWS Chicago animal shelter.
A quick, routine scan revealed that Oliver had a microchip and a family that was looking for him.
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On Monday, Laura Kleban was reunited with her cat. She was 17 the last time she held Oliver, but said he feels like he hasn’t lost any weight.
This happy ending is just another reminder that microchipping should be essential to all pet owners.
