Willow reunited after two years
FAMILY HAILS MIRACLE DISCOVERY OF BELOVED PET CAT
THE Keene family of Rathnew have been reunited with their pet cat ‘Willow’ two years after she first disappeared.
Willow was adopted by Sarah and Andrew Keene, and their two sons Matthew (13) and Adam (11), from Sharpeshill Animal Sanctuary but vanished in 2018 despite a desperate search to find her.
However, the family were in for quite the shock after receiving a call from Wicklow Vets last week to say Willow had been left in at the veterinary practice after being discovered in Ashford, two years after disappearing.
‘We probably stopped hoping for Willow’s return around a year and a half ago so this has been a lovely little miracle,’ said Sarah. ‘It has also provided a bit of light during these dark and uncertain times. I just wish she could talk so she could tell us all about her adventure for the past two years.’
The Keene family are also eager to stress that they most likely would never have being reunited with Willow if she hadn’t been micro-chipped.
A CAT which went missing from its Rathnew home in 2018 has been miraculously reunited with his owner two years after first disappearing.
Sarah and Andrew Keene, and their two sons Matthew (13) and Adam (11) adopted Willow from Sharpeshill Animal Sanctuary in 2016 but were left heartbroken when their beloved pet vanished two years later.
Recalling Willow’s disappearance, Sarah said: ‘It was all very odd because whenever ‘Willow’ went out for a wander she was nearly always within sight of our home. We were all devastated when she went missing because she was such an important part of the family and we were all very attached to her. We were all in bits.
‘We were hoping she would come back and we posted up lost and found messages, but there was no whiff of her anywhere. The hardest part was not knowing what happened to her. Was someone looking after her, or was she lonely and afraid somewhere by herself ? Eventually the kids came to terms with the fact that she wasn’t going to be found and might already be dead.’
As the Keene family reluctantly accepted that Willow wasn’t going to return, they eventually adopted two other cats as they tried to get over Willow’s disappearance.
However, the family were in for quite the shock after receiving a call from Wicklow Vets last week with some news no-one was expecting.
‘Andrew answered the call and was told one of our cats had been left in at the vets. He saw both our cats were both inside the house and assumed a mistake had been made. He nearly dropped the phone and couldn’t believe it when he was told it was Willow,’ added Sarah.
Willow had been spotted in and around the Ashford area since Christmas. Some local residents heard her crying near The Café Latte and managed to entice her into their garden so she could be fed. Concerned with how thin
Willow was, she was brought to Wicklow Vets, where the missing pet was identified through her micro-chip.
‘We didn’t tell the kids at first. We knew it must be her because of the micro-chip but we just wanted to be certain it wasn’t a different cat.
When we got to the vets the people who found her were waiting for us.
‘I was gutted over the Covid-19 restrictions because I wanted to give them the biggest hug,’ said Sarah.
Willow was returned home, much to the disbelief and delight of Matthew and Adam.
‘We were all so happy and the youngest bust into tears. We never expected to be reunited with her. She was always a very affectionate cat and she has been jumping up on all our laps for a cuddle. I guess she has been starved of human contact for sometime now.’
Sarah is also keen to stress that the family wouldn’t have ended up being reunited with Willow if she hadn’t been micro-chipped.
‘It highlights the importance of getting your pet micro-chipped. If we hadn’t micro-chipped Willow then the chances are we never would have been reunited.’
Now the family are working on helping Willow settle back into home-life, while also introducing her to the two latest feline additions to the family.
‘We probably stopped hoping for Willow’s return around a year and a half ago so this has been a lovely little miracle,’ said Sarah. ‘It has also provided a bit of light for the family during these dark and uncertain times.
‘I just wish she could talk so she could tell us all about her adventure for the past two years. Someone must have been looking after her at some stage.
‘We know she was spotted in Ashford from time to time since Christmas, but she must have been somewhere else for the previous 18 months. If only she could talk, because I’m sure she would have some tale to share.’