Shoes, a long lost senior cat, is home again at last

Two years. That’s how long Shoes, a senior Tabby cat, was lost from her beloved family. But thanks to a microchip and caring couple who found her, this 16-year-old kitty is finally safe at home again.

Two cities. Shoes lived in Lebanon with her family, and the couple who rescued her found her in Zionsville. That’s at least a 15-mile journey.

Shoes got lost at age 14 when she was scared by thunder and ran outside during a storm. How she made it to Zionsville is a mystery, but there is no doubt who she belongs to or loves very much. Shoes meowed as soon as she heard her owner’s voice on June 23 at the Humane Society for Boone County Shelter in Whitestown.

Deputy Hannah Fisher, an Animal Control Officer for the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, and Dr. Amy Rader, a veterinarian and HSforBC board member, also helped get Shoes safely home again. The couple who found Shoes took her to Zionsville Animal Hospital to be scanned for a possible microchip then Deputy Fisher tracked the chip’s outdated registration information and finally found the cat’s owners.
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Her story is quite remarkable. She was adopted by her family as a kitten and named Shoes because of her four white paws. Shoes weighed 20 lbs. when she disappeared two years ago. Sadly, she only weighed 5.6 lbs. when rescued on June 22.
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It was a very emotional reunion with her owner, Constance Tai, the next day.

Dawn Walker, director of Feline Foster and Adoption for HSforBC, said Shoes “started in [meowing] the minute she heard her mama’s voice! It was precious and one of the most amazing moments!”

Shoes was extremely thin and needed veterinary care. But thanks to a microchip that still worked after 16 years, this story has a “safe at home again” ending.

Microchips do work! Even old ones!

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