Missing Cat Reunited With Owner After 9 Years. Here's How

United States police officials in the state of Virginia said that a cat from state who had been missing for nine years was reunited with her owner on Tuesday after showing up on a local resident's porch.

A local resident called to report a stray cat had settled down on their porch and was refusing to go, according to a Henrico County Police Facebook post. The animal protection unit then deployed an animal protection officer on Tuesday, the police department said.

"An Animal Protection Officer responded and brought the cat to our shelter. She was scanned for a microchip, and it turned out that she had one! After calling around to area veterinarians and doing some investigative work, they were able to track down the owner and give them a call!," the officials wrote in the post.

"The owner found it hard to believe at first, but confirmed Piper had been missing for 9 years and was excited to hear the news. After searching for so long, the owner eventually marked her as dead with the microchip company. However, Piper clearly had other plans! While this white-gloved feline has had some time to herself, we sure are glad to see Piper back with her owner!,".

At the end of the post, security officials note and send a message to pet owners, saying, "The moral of the story is that microchips help pets get back to their families. Make sure to microchip your pet, and keep your contact information up to date."