Cat separated from owner in Florida found in Northeast Ohio nearly 8 years later

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - A Northeast Ohio-based animal shelter is attempting to reunite a cat found Mahoning County with its owners after being separated nearly eight years ago.

Barley was brought into Angels for Animals as a stray over the weekend.

Shelter workers at Angels for Animals were able to scan the cat’s microchip, which is when they discovered that Barley had been missing for eight years from its family in Tampa, Fla. She was found nearly 1,100 miles from home.

The cat’s owners were contacted. They said they initially found Barley as a 6-week-old kitten in a dumpster. She managed to escape from the family when they were moving to a new home, according to Angels for Animals.

“This is a prime example of why micro-chipping your pet can be one of the most important things that you can do for them! It may have taken 8 years to get home, but home this girl is going!,” Angels for Animals posted on Facebook.

Angels for Animals is now trying to coordinate a flight from Northeast Ohio or the Pittsburgh area to her family in Florida.

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