Reunited, and it purrs so good
Cats love nothing more than to burrow into a quiet, secluded place for comfort. Sometimes, their chosen small space causes big trouble.
That was WTOP reporter Neal Augenstein’s experience this week. After he and his wife, Paula, tossed out some old furniture, they realized one of their cats was missing, launching a search that took him to a Northern Virginia warehouse, trash transfer station and two animal shelters.
“Mike is the sweetest cat,” Augenstein said. “He sleeps on my pillow every night.”
It all started Sunday, when Augenstein had a junk removal company haul their old living room furniture away.
“My wife and I did a quick check under the cushions of one couch that was torn up and that our cats, Mike and Mochi, had climbed and hid in before,” Augenstein said.
Monday, the new couches and chair were delivered.
“Tuesday, I was kind of surprised that Mike didn’t show up when I fed the cats, and I realized I hadn’t seen him in a while, and Paula hadn’t seen him either,” Augenstein said. “And we got a sinking feeling that maybe Mike was in the couch when it was carted away.”
The quest for Mike the Cat begins
Of course, this realization sparked panic in the Augenstein household and a search commenced around their home and neighborhood.
“We know that the cats sometimes hide, and so we checked in every closet and every nook and cranny, calling his name, or maybe he ran out the door when the junk haulers were here,” Augenstein said.
As he searched, he shook a treat bag and called Mike’s name, but the cat didn’t turn up.
Wednesday morning, Augenstein called the junk removal company and shared his theory about Mike’s potential whereabouts.
“They said our couches were still in the warehouse, so I rushed over there,” Augenstein said. “Two of the three couches were there, but the ripped one had stayed on the truck and been sent to the I-66 Transfer Station, which is where recycling is done before trash is eventually sent to the landfill.”
The WTOP reporter continued his investigation at the transfer station, where workers said someone saw a cat Monday and that animal control came to collect it.
“You can imagine my heart skipped a beat,” Augenstein said.
But the Fairfax Animal Shelter, two minutes down the road from the transfer station, told Augenstein the cat had been moved to a shelter in Lorton.
At the second shelter, “a very nice employee” gave Augenstein some details from the cat’s intake report.
“Someone at the transfer station saw the cat fall when the stuff was being dumped at the landfill and called animal services,” Augenstein recounted. “An officer found Mike in an abandoned part of the building, hiding in a trash pile. He was hissing, obviously very scared.”
Mike the Cat, who has a microchip, was then reunited with a relieved Augenstein.
“This morning, when I woke up, Mike was lying across my chest while I was sleeping, and now, as I’m working, he’s lying by the keyboard, getting belly rubs and doing happy drools,” he said.
Augenstein shared some advice for pet owners who lose track of their furry friend.
“Try to remain calm and take the steps to try and find your pet,” Augenstein said. “Post on neighborhood social media pages, call the animal shelter, and of course, microchipping, and just being thankful to the people who daily are compassionate enough to help reunite a scared, confused pet with a scared and worried human.”
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