Cat went missing 5 years ago. Owner drove through dust storm to see him again
A cat is now safe and sound back home with one of her owners after a five-year absence.
Binks, a 14-year-old feline who now has many adventures under his belt, was discovered after a long absence — that went on just a tad bit longer after he was found.
“Binks went missing from his family five years ago, but thanks to a kind-hearted Good Samaritan and a microchip that still had a trail to follow, he’s finally back where he belongs,” Lost Dogs Illinois, a nonprofit organization said in a May 17 Facebook post. The organization usually helps reunite lost dogs with their families and announced Binks’ happy reunion in their 2025 Microchip Hunter Reunion Stories.
“Binks was found on the North Side of Chicago by a wonderful woman named Shainy, who brought him to a vet to be scanned for a microchip. The chip company was contacted and made attempts to reach the registered owner, but no luck. That’s when Shainy reached out to Microchip Hunters for help—while continuing to care for Binks with ‘food, water, gentle pets, scritches, and lots of sunbeam naps.’”
According to the Lost Dogs Illinois website, Microchip Hunters are a group of volunteers “dedicated to research dead-end microchips and rabies/ID tags” to track down families.
“Microchip Hunter Weslee took on the case and, after hitting some dead ends with the primary contact, was able to locate a working number for the emergency contact listed on the chip—Binks’ owner’s ex-husband,” the post continued.
“He was shocked to learn Binks had been found and didn’t hesitate to drive a couple of hours from his home in Indianapolis through a dust storm to reunite with him last night!”
This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 1:43 PM with the headline "Cat went missing 5 years ago. Owner drove through dust storm to see him again."