Cat missing for 19 months reunited with family

The comforting words on the other end of the line were well-meaning: “Don’t worry, ma’am,” said the person from Polk County Animal Control (PCAC) in central Florida. “We get reports all the time of missing cats. If she’s chipped, they’ll find her.”

A tearful Lourdes Ortiz, the caller, was inconsolable. She had looked everywhere, and despite checking with neighbors, nearby friends, shelters, and vet offices, there was no sign of her beloved cat, Kiwi.

But there was still hope. Kiwi was microchipped through a program supported by Best Friends Animal Society. If somebody found her, the data on that chip could reconnect her with Lourdes, as well as PCAC and Best Friends.

When Kiwi went missing, the memories started to kick in — blissful moments from the past year and a half Lourdes and Kiwi were together. It all began in spring 2022 when Lourdes’ family stopped by PCAC to check out the animals.

That’s when she first spotted Kiwi, a petite tabby with the most mesmerizing green eyes. “I fell in love with her at first sight,” Lourdes says. “We already had two dogs at home, but she was such a beautiful kitten. She was just a baby, no more than 10 weeks old.”

From the time she arrived home, Kiwi was the undisputed queen of the house, says Lourdes. “She was curious, confident, and endlessly entertaining, with a mischievous streak and big personality packed into her petite frame. She loved spending days lounging in sunbeams, batting around feather toys with laser focus, and keeping a close eye on the neighborhood birds from her favorite window perch.”

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Kiwi was picky about her meals but loved anything smothered in gravy. One of her special talents was curling up in freshly folded laundry, claiming it as her throne. She was the type of cat who knew exactly what she liked and wasn’t shy about letting people know it.

When she went missing, her absence stretched from days to weeks to months. Lourdes and her family continued to look for Kiwi with no luck. They never stopped hoping they’d find her, but the more time passed, the less likely it began to feel. It seemed that Kiwi was gone for good.

When the family needed to move to New York to care for a family member who was sick, Kiwi was always in the back of their minds. Even though it seemed unlikely that they’d ever find their lost kitty, moving so far away made the feeling even more final. “Leaving Florida without Kiwi — that was heartbreaking not only for me but for my 13-year-old daughter who loves her dearly,” says Lourdes. “It was devastating.”

Fast-forward another 11 months to March of this year when a single phone call changed everything. Kiwi had been found not far from where she went missing, and her microchip still listed Lourdes as her family. A staff member from PCAC called Lourdes to share the incredible news.

Lourdes had at least a few minutes to enjoy the moment before being shocked back into reality. Kiwi was in Florida, more than a thousand miles from New York City.

“My heart was broken, and I was crying all over again,” Lourdes says. “I didn’t know how we’d get her back.” But the microchip also listed Best Friends as a contact, and when the message came through about Kiwi’s situation, it set wheels in motion to reunite her with her family.

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Best Friends regularly moves animals from places where their lives may be at risk in shelters that are not yet no-kill to organizations with plenty of space and resources to take them in and place them in new homes. And sometimes, special passengers like Kiwi — who already have a home to get back to and just need a little help to make their reunion possible — can hitch a ride. It just so happened that the Best Friends team had a trip already planned on a regularly scheduled route from the south to the north along the East Coast. It was no trouble to tuck Kiwi into a cozy spot in the van and bring her along for the ride.

Things fell into place quickly, and within days of being found, Kiwi was on her way to New York. She would be arriving at the Best Friends Lifesaving Center in New York’s Soho district, where Lourdes could come and pick her up. And maybe the best part of all: Lourdes’ home was just a 20-minute walk from the center.

A reunion, long thought of as improbable, was most certainly on.

“When Kiwi first got here, we just let her chill until Lourdes arrived,” says Amy Gravel, a Best Friends staff member who was there for the heartwarming reunion. “Then, we opened the carrier and just let her come out and explore. She was a bit aloof at first, like most cats, but as soon as Lourdes picked her up, it was like, ‘Oh, I remember you!’”

Lourdes was overjoyed. “I missed you so much! Where did you go?” she exclaimed, holding Kiwi close. “My daughter will be so surprised. She doesn’t know Kiwi is coming here today. And Kiwi’s two dog siblings, Logan and Mooshka, will be happy too.”

Things are getting back to normal at Lourdes’ household. Kiwi picked up right where she left off. Mostly she hangs out with 85-pound Logan, but she also loves little Mooshka, who’s about her size.

Kiwi take naps with the dogs during the day, and at night the trio is usually curled up together on the sofa or the bed. In the morning when Kiwi is most active, she’s busy with all her toys. There’s plenty to eat and lots of time for long, leisurely naps on the window ledge, while simultaneously keeping an eye on the birds.

Thanks to a single microchip, one loving family has been reunited. And life is good.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.