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There was a happy reunion between a family and their lost cat in Braintree, Essex, UK. However, this is not a regular missing pet tale; rather, it is a warming story involving a bit of luck and one very attentive cat owner. And it all revolves around a cat’s “meow.”
Barnaby, the Lawrence family’s cat, had been missing for eight months, according to the BBC. On January 11, 2022, Rachel Lawrence was on the phone with her veterinarian. Her younger cat, Torvi, had just undergone an operation and she was asking how he was.
During the call, Lawrence heard a meow. It may have been a standard meow to anyone else’s ears, but to Lawrence, there was something distinct about this sound. She asked the vet if this was Torvi and was told “No, that’s just a stray we had brought in a week ago,” the Evening Standard reported.
Lawrence put down the phone and could not stop thinking about this. Could this be long-lost Barnaby? Unable to dismiss this unlikely thought, she called the vet back a few hours later. She asked if this meow came from a black cat. Yes, was the reply. And does the cat have a white patch on his back foot? Yes. This had to be Barnaby, Lawrence concluded.
When she went to pick up Torvi, she brought photos of Barnaby, nicknamed Fatman by her three kids. When the vet brought Barnaby to her, Lawrence broke down in what she described as tears and howls.
She then video-called her three children and said, “Look who I found.”
“Fatman,” they cried out with joy!
Captivated hearts around the world
When this sweet story was published, it touched the hearts of animal lovers around the world. One woman commented on Facebook that this took pet parenthood to the next level, while others wrote about how they, too, can recognize their own cats’ voices.
Barnaby is safely home with the Lawrence family and Torvi. He returned home thin with patchy fur, and scabs. Lawrence had previously put a chip into Barnaby, but it did not work and so when he was lost, they had no hope of finding him again.
Yet, thanks to the kindness of the good samaritan who found Barnaby and took him to the vet, and to the incredibly attuned ears of his pet owner, this cat is back. He even has a new chip in him that works, so he will not be able to stray too far from home.
Barnaby is eating well and with all the love and attention, the family hopes he will grow back into Fatman. Each cat is as distinct as their special markings and personality. Yet if you listen to your cat carefully, you may just distinguish that signature meow.
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