Volusia Woman Reunited with Cat After 4 Years Apart

A local woman experienced perhaps the greatest joy possible for a pet owner: a reunion with her long-missing cat after years apart. Volusia County’s Jessica Buchanan was reunited with her cat Precious over four years after she escaped from Buchanan’s home. The story began years ago when Buchanan took Precious in as a kitten. The plan at the time was to foster her temporarily, but the attachment soon became impossible to deny. Buchanan resolved to give Precious a forever home after bottle-feeding her, adopting her as a permanent new family member. Around a year after adopting Precious, Buchanan was briefly hospitalized. During this time, Precious disappeared. For months Buchanan searched frantically, hoping desperately that she could recover her beloved cat. No breakthroughs came, and Buchanan resigned herself to the conclusion that she wouldn’t ever find Precious. Things stayed seemingly hopeless for years. That was, until another Volusia County resident unaware of the situation catalyzed a miracle. The resident brought in an outdoor cat she’d been feeding to Volusia County Animal Services, intending to participate in the Trap-Neuter-Release program to help curtail stray cat populations. The cat was routinely scanned for a microchip, revealing that it was Precious. Using the contact information on Precious’s microchip, staff members with Volusia County Animal Services reached out to Jessica Buchanan. She was asked by staff to describe the cat, and was able to do so with ease. Buchanan went to Animal Services for an overdue reunion with her long-lost cat. The two were finally back together, and Buchanan took Precious home again, over four years after losing her. According to Volusia County Animal Services, there’s a key lesson to be learned in this storybook reunion. All owners are encouraged to have their pets microchipped with up-to-date information. This form of ID is more permanent than a collar and tag, helping boost the odds that a pet can be recovered after a long time away.