"Tigger The Cat Reunites With Owners" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading in my morning newspaper about a cat that had ben missing for 2 years and finally was reunited with its original owners.  Cat's name was Tigger and he was originally from the little town to the north of Lancaster, Pennsylvania known as Lititz (pronounced Lit-tit-z (yeah...I know it sounds funny or even obscene).  Story goes like this...Karen Bamberger recognized the orange-and-white cat that showed up at her home in Lititz, PA last week.  She had seen it on neighborhood posters as well as being posted on "Nextdoor", the hyperlocal social media app.  Karen, a retired teacher in the local Warwick School District,  marveled at the beauty of the cat, figuring that it wasn't a feral cat.  She said, "He was very friendly.  He even jumped  up on my lap."  She knew that it must belong to another person or family, but had no idea whom or where they might live.  Karen, who had recently got her own cat, had all the supplies needed to take care of the stray until she could find a home for him.  She kept the cat on her screened-in rear porch while she tried to figure what to do with him.  She then connected with Anita Barr of Elizabeth Township, which is near Lititz, and tried to figure what to do with the cat.  Barr took it to the Lititz Veterinary clinic where they learned that it had been micro-chipped.  The cat belonged to Jeremiah and Lauren Geib and their two children of Boyertown, Pennsylvania, about 40 miles northeast of Lititz.  Even crazier, the cat--whom they found out was named "Tigger" had been missing for 2 years.  "The mystery was how the cat made it from Boyertown, Berks County, to Lititz in Lancaster County, 40 miles northeast of Lititz.  And....for the cat to have survived for TWO years was remarkable.  Somebody along the way must have taken care of the cat.  Well, Barr and Bamberger arranged for a meeting with the cat at the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Warwick Substation.  "The (parents) showed me a photograph of their daughter holding Tigger like a little baby.  The cat was probably about 5 to 6 pounds at that time.  Today it probably weighs about 20-25 pounds.  He was hugh.  He was being fed well during his two years of lifetime.  Barr and Bamberger said seeing how happy the children of the Bamberger's were was the best part of the reunion.  In typical cat fashion, it was hard to tell how happy the cat was!  The story reported that cat traps can be purchased online or at retailers such as Harbor Freight and Tractor Supply.  People who might be interested in adopting a cat or kitten can visit Last Litter Rescue thorough gmail or by calling 717-875-9421.  Barr and Bamberger stressed the importance of getting microchips implanted in pet cats.  "It was really the microchip that was instrumental in reuniting the pet  to the owner.  "So...even if it is a housecat, it might be best to get your cat microchipped.  That way it will always be a happy ending.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Anita Barr (right) reunites Tigger the cat with the Geib family.