Barkley Comes Home!

Barkley’s life rarely follows an easy path. Born in 2022 to a feral cat, he was rescued along with his sister and mom by Anna of Dakin’s Kitten Street team at the age of eight weeks. The cats had been living under someone’s back porch.

Anna dubbed him Fireball, due to his volcanic personality. He was feral and tiny, but mighty. Anna fostered the all-black kitten, and he became socialized in a matter of weeks. By Christmas, he was adopted by Scott as a special gift to his wife Robin. The pair were mourning their black cat, who had recently passed away. Scott felt that Fireball would be a good fit, and he was. His new name became Barkley.

Anna was keen to stay in touch and occasionally heard about his progress. In October she emailed Scott for another update and his response began, “I am in tears as I write this…”  

“My heart sank,” recalled Anna. “Their sweet boy had gotten outside and was missing for over a week. Reading his email, I felt like my own pet was lost. I spent so much time with Barkley…I felt I needed to help him find his way back home. I foster a lot of kittens, and I rarely get attached to them, but Barkley was special to begin with.”

Anna’s kind offer to help was incredibly valuable for Scott and Robin. Anna understands the behavior patterns of outdoor-dwelling cats, and while fostering Barkley, knew his patterns and personality. If Barkley had decided to rejoin his community cat colony, Anna would know where to find him as a last resort.

“Scott and Robin did all the right things to find Barkley,” said Anna. “They made flyers, posted on social media, set a trap, and more, but still no Barkley. They hadn’t given up hope, but I could sense they were not feeling optimistic as each day passed. There were several sightings in the neighborhood and they followed every lead. Most ended up as dead ends.”  

One night, a black cat appeared on Scott and Robin’s security camera. Scott started putting tuna outside, gradually moving it closer to their screened-in porch. For several nights the cat returned for the tuna, and Anna, Scott, and Robin hatched a plan. The tuna would be left inside the porch, and the door would be propped open with a large soda bottle attached to a long string that Scott and Robin could pull from inside the house to secure the cat inside the porch. The cat arrived, the string was pulled, and the feline was trapped.

Anna got the call and drove straight over, microchip scanner in hand. The cat was panicking and climbing the screen. Robin had pulled him down, he purred, and she told Anna she was very sure it was him. Anna scanned him for a microchip. It was Barkley!

According to Anna, “Barkley had been missing for 43 days. He lost some significant weight but after a vet check, he was deemed healthy. He got a new baby sister, Elsa, who Scott and Robin had adopted.”

Barkley’s return home was a joyous event, and he was fortunate that his family, including Anna who originally rescued him, never gave up hope, and knew how to lure him back. Thankfully, his microchip provided proof of his identity. Microchipping your pet will always improve the chances that you’ll be reunited if separated.

To get your dog or cat microchipped during a routine wellness visit, book your appointment at Dakin’s Pet Health Center.