The Henderson family was “distraught” when furry family member Forbes the cat went missing from his Aberdeen, Scotland home in March of 2011. The sweet tabby cat’s parents, Neil and Lucy, did everything they could think of to bring their boy back home. As Neil told the Scottish SPCA, a friend of the couple made posters, they went door-to-door and even asked that neighbors check their garages and sheds in case he somehow got himself locked into an unfamiliar place.
But Forbes was nowhere to be found. As more and more time passed, hope for his return grew dim. A few years went by, and thoughts of Forbes left the cat parents with heavy hearts.
Thinking him gone forever, Neil and Lucy were forced to carry on without their kitty as they moved roughly 130 miles from Aberdeen to Edinburgh.
An Adored Cat Goes Missing
Neil and Lucy adopted Forbes when he was just a kitten, and they all formed a “special bond.”
“He was such a unique and friendly character, we absolutely adored him,” shared Neil.
But after eight or nine months went by with no sign of their cat, his parents “very sadly had to come to the realisation that the worst may have happened.”
With these heavy thoughts in mind, the Henderson’s began life without their boy. They moved to a new city and soon they had grown their family by two cats and two dogs. But a call ten years after Forbes disappeared suddenly brought a ghost back to life.
Skinny Cat Found
In the fall of 2021, about two miles from the Hendersons’ old home, Greg Stevenson, an animal rescue officer working with the Scottish SPCA, responded to a call about a skinny cat wandering the area. He reported the cat “to be very friendly.”
As protocol dictates, Greg scanned the cat for a microchip and learned the kitty he’d found was named Forbes. The information on the chip also contained the Hendersons’ phone number, so he gave them a call, reaching Lucy. When she called Neil to let him know, he said, “I was on the motorway, and she told me I had to pull over.”
“I was completely unprepared for what I was about to be told and hearing that Forbes had been found left me completely astounded.”
Neil and Lucy headed to Aberdeen the next day, and as soon as they saw their boy, they recognized him right away. It seems Forbes remembered them too, with Neil sharing, “Forbes did give me a big cuddle, so I’m hopeful that he remembered us.”
Rescuer Greg reported the couple was “absolutely over the moon” to be reunited with their cat. He “was amazed to hear how long Forbes had been missing for.”
“We have no way of knowing where Forbes had been all this time or what adventures he might have been on.”
“Closed Chapter Has Just Opened Up”
Forbes is home again and has furry siblings to share it with, but his parents are slowly introducing the now 12-year-old tabby cat to their cats and dogs. Things are going great. Lucy and Neil thought Forbes was gone forever, but having him home, Neil said, “It’s like a closed chapter has just opened up. It’s a dream come true.”
H/T: www.washingtonnewsday.com; www.bbc.com
Feature Image Courtesy of Scottish SPCA