SHALIMAR — Smokey the cat has been returned to his home 20 months after disappearing during a storm in January 2012.
Sandra Nichols, whose family lives in a military housing area near Poquito Bayou, got a call from her parents Wednesday telling her that Smokey had been found. Their telephone number was listed on his microchip registration.
The cat had been hanging out at a construction area near Eglin Regional Hospital when it was trapped by worker and taken to Pet Welfare.
From there, Smokey went to Bayside Animal Hospital for pickup.
Nichols said she was shocked to get him back and that her family had given up hope after the first few months.
“We had only been there a month,” she said. “We thought he couldn’t find his way back.”
She surprised her 16-year-old daughter Sara by taking her to the animal hospital on the pretense of getting pet food. Instead, they picked up Smokey, who was surprisingly healthy and friendly after his nearly two years on the lam.
“He’s purring, pawing on you, letting you carry him around,” Nichols said. “He sleeps in our bed.”
Assignment Editor Wendy Victora can be reached at 850-315-4478 or wvictora@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @WendyVnwfdn.
