Georgia Woman Reunited With Her Lost Cat After 7 Years Thanks To A Surprising Message
The thought of losing a pet, even for a single day, is heartbreaking. Now imagine your beloved companion missing for nearly seven years.
That was the devastating reality for Elizabeth Gillespie when her sweet Siamese mix, Kevin Durant, vanished without a trace.
Elizabeth searched and held on to hope, but as the years passed, her optimism began to fade. Kevin had been her baby, and not knowing what had happened to him weighed heavily on her heart.
Then, out of the blue, Elizabeth’s world turned upside down. Nearly seven years after Kevin disappeared, she received a text message from 24Petwatch and the Walker County Animal Shelter. Her cat had been found alive and was safe at the shelter.
Because Kevin had been microchipped, staff were able to identify him and contact Elizabeth immediately. That tiny chip made all the difference.
On Facebook, Elizabeth shared her shock and excitement, writing:
“I just got a text from 24Petwatch / Walker County Animal Shelter that Kevin Durant (my cat) has been found! I will be there at 10am when they open to get my Bubba!!”
She followed up with an appreciation post featuring Kevin’s baby pictures, proudly showing off the little kitten who had stolen her heart all those years ago.
In the years after Kevin went missing, Elizabeth poured her energy into helping other animals. She began volunteering with North Georgia Animal Alliance and fostered countless cats and kittens who needed love and care.
But Kevin was always on her mind. She even admitted in one post that she worried about how he would fit in now. As she shared in a post:
“He never met my other pets since they joined the party after he went missing. And now I have 2 cats named after NBA players. He saw me “foster” one night only, an emergency bottle baby kitten and he knocked the kmr can over and spilled it 3x. This is gonna be fun.”
The very next morning, Elizabeth rushed to the shelter.
The reunion was emotional, Kevin clung to her as though no time had passed, and she couldn’t stop holding him. What stunned her most was the discovery that Kevin hadn’t been far away at all.
He had been living just a mile from her home, surviving in a cat colony on the other side of the neighborhood. Elizabeth shared her mixed emotions in a Facebook post:
“My guilt from absorbing that he’s been so close and outside this whole time is overwhelming. I’m so glad I get to have more time with him though.”
Kevin was given a full veterinary exam, and to everyone’s relief, he had no major health problems. While his years outside had taken a toll, he was in good condition and ready to start fresh.
Elizabeth acknowledged that it would take time for Kevin to adjust after so long as a colony cat:
“It’s going to be an adjustment for him for sure. His first 5 years of life inside with catio access and his last 7 years as a free roaming outdoor boy in a colony… After 10 days at the shelter in a small cage, he is definitely relaxing and sleeping a lot now.”
Kevin’s story is a powerful reminder of why microchipping is so important. That one decision ensured that, after all these years, he was finally reunited with his family.
Elizabeth is overjoyed to have her cross-eyed boy back, and Kevin now has the chance to spend his senior years surrounded by warmth, comfort, and love.
For anyone who has ever lost hope, Kevin’s journey is proof that miracles can, and do, happen.
