Francine, a white calico cat who wandered into a Richmond, Virginia Lowe’s in 2017 and became the first stop for 75 percent of customers, went missing last month and sparked a massive search that went viral on social media. Security footage revealed she had climbed into the back of a delivery truck headed to a distribution center in Garysburg, North Carolina, 85 miles away. A “Where’s Francine?” Instagram page quickly attracted almost 35,000 followers, while workers at the massive warehouse used thermal drones and 246 surveillance cameras to search the million-square-foot facility. Store manager Mike Sida and employee Wayne Schneider, who feed Francine every morning, made the 85-mile drive twice trying to retrieve her with kibble and her favorite rattle.
After 17 days, Francine finally walked into one of the humane traps at the distribution center, and Mike and Wayne immediately drove back to North Carolina to bring her home. Wayne said she was crying a little when they found her, then she got in his arms and it felt like pure joy. The mayor of Richmond even celebrated Francine’s return on Instagram, praising the compassion and community spirit that made the city so special. Francine is back at work but now wears a harness and tracking tag, and the Instagram page creator says it was amazing to see everybody come together over this little cat during incredibly polarized times.
