A cat disappeared from her home and spent two years surviving on her own before finding her way back to the exact yard she had fled from, injured and in need of care. She is finally getting the care and life she deserves
WillowCredi: Foster the Furbabies
Willow came into the care of Foster the Furbabies back in 2021, arriving alongside a kitten of her own. The kitten was adopted separately, and Willow followed soon after, placed into what the rescue believed would be her forever home.
In 2024, everything changed. During introductions with a new dog in the household, Willow escaped, and no one at the rescue had any idea she was even gone. "We were not made aware of this, so we were super shocked to get a call from the vet about her microchip," Foster the Furbabies shared with LoveMeow.
Two long years passed. Then, one day, Willow came home to the same yard.
Credi: Foster the Furbabies
Her former owner spotted her lingering outside on a camera, but was not sure it was really her. Willow had grown so much bigger since she disappeared that her own family almost did not recognize her.
A veterinarian scanned for a microchip, and the results confirmed what no one had dared to hope. "Thank goodness for microchips, because we confirmed it was indeed Willow," the rescue shared.
Credi: Foster the Furbabies
The reunion came with a rough start. Willow arrived at urgent care with severe matting and a soiled, wet lower half. Beneath the tangles, staff discovered she was infested with maggots. The infestation was so severe that the vet could not remove it without sedating her.
From there, she was transferred to an emergency animal hospital for more intensive care.
Credi: Foster the Furbabies
Veterinarians found two wounds hidden beneath her fur. One, on her rear, was surface level and cleaned easily. The other, a deep puncture wound on her hind leg, was infested further beneath the surface, and doctors placed a drain that would stay in for several days to keep flushing the infection out.
Her bloodwork raised a second concern. "Her WBC (white blood cell count) is also very, very low. It's not best for her to stay in the hospital to avoid catching other infections," the rescue shared. "We worry about sepsis here and hope that antibiotics will work their magic."
Credi: Foster the Furbabies
The rescue put out a plea for a foster home, and Kerianne in Philadelphia said yes.
In quarantine, wrapped in comfort for the first time in years, Willow began to heal. Her medications did their work, her wounds started to close, and the personality everyone remembered started coming back.
Credi: Foster the Furbabies
Willow is now around six years old, and she has never been shy about her opinions. She loves getting attention from her people, but she gets overstimulated fast, and she will let anyone nearby know when she has had enough.
After everything she survived, nobody begrudges her the sass. She has earned every bit of it.
Credi: Foster the Furbabies
Her glow up has been dramatic. Willow has already dropped from eighteen pounds to under fourteen in about a month, and the number keeps falling as her recovery continues.
Her thick coat is filling back in now that the mats are gone. Once it grows in fully, she will need regular brushing, and she may need some grooming help around her back end until it does.
Credi: Foster the Furbabies
As grateful as everyone was to have her back, the rescue quickly realized sending Willow home again was not the right call. The same dog that was there the day she ran was still there, and no one wanted to risk putting her back into the exact situation she had spent two years escaping.
"It has been years now, and it doesn't seem fair to put her into the same situation she was desperate to escape from," the rescue shared. "This is not an easy decision, but we believe it's for the best." Willow does better as the only animal in a household, and tends to do best with older children or none at all. She has since been spayed, brought current on her vaccines, and treated for fleas and worms.
Credi: Foster the Furbabies
She has become the kind of cat who claims a patch of sunlight and defends it as though she planned it.
Her foster, Kerianne, watched her return, day by day, to the confident, expressive cat she must have been long before she ever went missing. "She loves to get pets, play with wand toys, and has allowed me to help brush her gorgeous coat." Kerianne shared.
Credi: Foster the Furbabies
After two years spent surviving on her own, Willow is not interested in just getting by anymore.
She came back once already, on her own. This time, the people around her plan to make sure she never has to find her own way home again.
Share this story with your friends. More on Willow and Foster the Furbabies on Instagram @fosterthefurbabies and Facebook. Follow her foster, Kerianne's, journey on Instagram @moons.and.friends.
Related Story: Cat Shows Up on a Family's Porch for Food, Unaware that His Life is About to Get So Much Better
LoveMeow may earn a small commission from purchases made through links in this article at no additional cost to you.
