Rescued cats have “foreign language information”
A cat lost in France is somehow found in the UK.Click here for images of kind people >>
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The cat, who lived in the northern French city of Calais, was found in Basingstoke, England, more than 150 miles (240 kilometers) across the English Channel.
The tabby cat “Ophelie” went missing while camping in northern France with her owner Christelle in May 2024.
Some time later, Ophelie was rescued while walking across the English Channel in the town of Basingstoke.
The cat was taken to a veterinary clinic in Biables to have its microchip checked.
When Jade Williams, an assistant at the clinic, scanned it, she was surprised to find that the microchip information was registered in a foreign language.
“I found out that the company was registered in Europe, so I guessed it was probably France. I contacted the company and asked them to tell me the name of the owner. I don’t speak much French, but I have a close friend who speaks French. “I asked for their cooperation,” she says.
Complicated “border crossing” procedures
Cat being scanned for microchip
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That friend is Adrien Nortier. He was happy to act as an interpreter.
“It wasn’t easy to cross the border and bring the cat back home.It was stressful, but I knew I had to do it and did my best.Through this experience, I learned a lot of things. “Yes,” says Adrien.
I received contact from Jade on August 29, 2024. After that, it seems that he was busy with complicated procedures and communication work for more than a month.
“We had to communicate with vets, the Trading Standards Agency, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the quarantine facility, the transport company, as well as her owner, Christelle, and other stakeholders in the UK. .
It was really busy.”
Additionally, Ophelie had to undergo quarantine at a temporary shelter before being transported across the ocean, as it had been some time since her last vaccination. Adrien also had to fill out and authenticate documents such as a cat passport and health certificate.
Microchip helped
Cat being carried by car in a carrier
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Christelle was sad that she would never see her beloved cat again, but when she received a call from a veterinary clinic in the UK about the discovery, she jumped for joy.
After completing her isolation period on October 2nd, Ophelie took a taxi from Southampton to France and was safely reunited with her owner in Calais.
“Christelle and her partner are overjoyed to have their cat back. She was very grateful to us and I’m glad she was able to get her home safely,” says Adrien.
Although this incident was a first for Jade, she says, “I realized once again how important it is to implant microchips in cats.”
Jade says, “If I didn’t have the microchip information, I would never have known where it came from. I never would have thought it was from France!”
How Ophelie came to England remains a mystery to this day. Christelle believes she was kidnapped at the campsite, but she still doesn’t know what happened next.
In any case, it’s been a tough five months for this cat.
source:French cat found in Basingstoke returns to home in Calais
