An one-eyed cat was lost wondering on the streets for 8 months until he came across someone who was determined to help him get back to where he belongs.
Meet Scarface the cat!
Photo: Anthony Jennaro
"I was walking earlier this week and heard a meow from a bush. I stopped to try to lure the one-eyed cat from the bush, but he was too shy and a bit frightened," Chelsie Barnes, a passionate animal rescuer from Wisconsin, told Love Meow.
"I messaged a close friend of mine, Julie, to ask her if she had seen the cat around as well. We searched in the Wisconsin Rescue Community and the Lost Pets of Milwaukee Facebook groups and discovered that there had been a one-eyed tabby that had been lost since June of 2015!"
The one-eyed cat alerted Barnes when he was meowing from a bush.
Courtesy of Chelsie Barnes
They began to try to contact the family and set up a trap to safely catch the lost tabby.
"I got a call while I was at work that there was, in fact, a cat in the trap we set! I left as soon as I could to go see if it was the cat we were after, and it was! He cried and yowled while in the trap, but I tried to reassure him that we were going to get him back home where he belongs," Barnes told Love Meow.
They brought the cat to a temporary home until they found his family. "We let him out of the trap and he was still quite scared, but slowly started realizing that he was safe and sound. He ate lots of wet food and drank fresh water while we made phone calls to a number of people, trying to reach the owner."
Watch the rescue in this video:
After many phone calls and Facebook posts in an attempt to find the kitty's family, they finally received a call back from the kitty's human dad, Anthony, who had been looking for their beloved cat since the day he went missing.
"He was ecstatic and overwhelmed by the idea that his furry family member had been found. He and his wife and young son rushed over to us to see the cat to confirm if it was him."
It was an emotional reunion!
Courtesy of Chelsie Barnes
"Scarface had been found, and he was right in front of their eyes! I admit that I cried a bit. It was such an amazing reunion. This is the reason I rescue. Even through all the heartache and heartbreak of rescue work, it's moments like these that reassure that we make a difference," Barnes said.
Courtesy of Chelsie Barnes
Scarface is home now and is swiftly getting used to being a house cat again.
Courtesy of Chelsie Barnes
"I just want to let people know that even if you lose your pet, move across town, and move on with your life, there's still a chance that they can come home to you; even if it's been a long time," Barnes said.