May 7 (UPI) -- A Michigan woman whose cat disappeared in 2022 was reunited with her beloved pet when he turned up three years later outside a McDonald's 10 miles from home.
Ella Bennett said Buddy, her indoor-outdoor cat, failed to come home one day in 2022.
"We kept hoping he would be back, but then it was a couple days too long than usual, so that's when we started to get worried," Bennett told WXYZ-TV.
Bennett said it wasn't until three years later that she was scrolling Facebook and came across a post from the Lenawee County Humane Society.
The post included photos of a cat the shelter had named Snack Wrap after being found with matted fur outside of a McDonald's in Adrian, about 10 miles from Bennett's home.
"I immediately sent it to my grandma, I was like, 'That looks just like Buddy,' and I posted a picture of him on there, and I was like, 'Do you think that could be him?'" Bennett said.
The shelter was able to confirm Snack Wrap and Buddy were one and the same by reviewing veterinary records, old photos and the feline's reaction to being reunited with Bennett.
Bennett said Buddy will likely still be allowed outside, but now he's microchipped.
"Thanks to the power of social media and a community that always comes together, Snack Wrap (aka Buddy) is BACK HOME with his family, exactly where he belongs," the Lenawee County Humane Society said on social media.
