When Ritz, a two-year-old tabby, escaped Jason McKenry’s Bear, Delaware, apartment, McKenry did all in his power to track down his microchipped cat.
He went door-to-door and distributed flyers all over. Every few days, Jason also gave shelters a call to see if his cat was there.
If he didn’t keep checking, Ritz might be put to death, which terrified him greatly.
The worst part, according to McKenry, was learning that most shelters and veterinarians didn’t scan cats for microchips.
Days stretched into weeks, then into months, and then into years, and Jason began to believe he would never see his adorable grey tabby boy again.
He wed Liz, his girlfriend. Ritz’s best companion was her cat Bailey. They relocated to Annapolis, where they now have two kids. Since Ritz’s escape, Bailey and another cat they adopted have passed away, and Jason and Liz had little faith that Ritz was still alive.
Unbelievably, fate intervened and Jason received a text confirming Ritz’s continued survival. He had been taken to the vet with a broken back leg and was about to be put down. Then a microchip was discovered.
His absence lasted 16 years.
