Woman reunites with missing cat after a year, urges others to microchip their pets
An Arkansas woman says she is amazed and grateful to be reunited with her lost cat, who went missing over a year ago.
"I was in such disbelief," Jody Popham told ABC News of learning someone had located her beloved June, a Siamese cat who had been microchipped.
Popham and her family had searched for June after he went missing in January 2025 following the family's move from their longtime home in Prattville, Alabama, to Brookland, Arkansas, over five hours away by car. When they couldn't locate him at their new home, Popham presumed he might have wandered off in an unfamiliar place and possibly died.
But last week, Popham said she received a text message and email from both June's microchip company and the Northeast Arkansas Humane Society.
The mom of five said the humane society told her -- and shared in a Facebook post -- that June had been spotted by someone at a local monument company in Needham, about 15 minutes and less than 10 miles from her home, and had brought him into the shelter.
"Closer than I expected," she said, but far for her "little country cat."
The next morning, Popham said the first thing she did was head straight to the Jonesboro, Arkansas, shelter.
"As soon as they opened at 8 a.m., I was there," Popham said.
Popham said June, now estimated to be 12 years old, recognized her immediately and made a familiar meow at her.
"I really cannot believe it. It's amazing," she said.
Popham said June is now back home with her and her husband, their kids, their dog Maisie, and the family's other cat, Beema.
"He's on our front porch, and he's happy as he can be," she said, adding, "June, of course, is so chill and relaxed ... he's seen so many things and gotten way more acclimated to Arkansas at this point that I don't think he's going anywhere."
Both Popham and the NEA Humane Society credit June's microchip for helping to reunite the family.
"We were thrilled that June had a microchip registered to [the] owner, which allowed us to reunite them back together after a year," the nonprofit shelter told ABC News via email. "It was one of our best days, especially [since] June had been missing for so long. He had been through snow storms and several tornados in our area in the last year. We love happy endings."
