Cat missing for a decade miraculously found on the birthday of the man he is named after

A woman who has been hoping her cat will return to her finally did so after a whopping 10 years on a day that's so special to her and her family. Bob, the cat, was named after Carol Holmes's late father and had been missing just three to four months after being adopted. Holmes adopted Bob from the Kansas Humane Society and found him a decade later, 1,200 miles away in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, on what would have been her father's 94th birthday.

"As time went along, I just kind of reconciled myself to the fact that the only way I would get him back is if somebody had him scanned for his chip or took him to the shelter. But that never happened," she told Good Morning America. However, in an "incredible" turn of events, she was contacted by someone who knew where her precious feline was. "I went to my email account and was scrolling down and I saw two messages from the microchip provider (24Petwatch), which is the company I use for my animals," Holmes recounted. "They said they had found my cat Bob and to contact Kelsea Eure at 5-Points, a hospital in North Carolina. And my first thought was, 'This must be a mistake,' because Bob had been gone for so long."

The 68-year-old named the cat after her father because they were both "sensitive" and "loving" and even shared a "spicy" personality. "I guess I did it to honor my dad, I felt like we were going to lose him. He actually got to meet Bob the cat before he died."

Finding the cat on such a special day meant the world to Holmes. "I feel like it's a heaven-sent message, to be honest. I really do. It's just so uncanny this happened on my dad's birthday, 10 years after Bob the cat went missing," Holmes said. "I've had some really tough times and I feel like it was just a blessing to have this happen. It's just like full circle. I really feel that and so many people think that it definitely is like a form of divine intervention, a message from Dad."

Bob was able to be tracked down thanks to being microchipped. Eure, a client service representative at 5-Points Animal Hospital in Fuquay-Varina, explained, "We got a phone call on August 19. A person found the cat on his porch and he asked if he could bring him in to check the microchip. And he came in that Saturday and we scanned him and he was microchipped to Ms. Carol, so we tried to touch base with her." Bob's story is an important reminder to pet owners to have their furry companions registered and microchipped. "It's just so important to not give up hope and to have your beloved furry family members microchipped so that reunions can happen," Holmes said. "This is how people are reunited with their animals."

The Kansas native is working with a nonprofit to get her cat across the border. "I've been working with Imagine Home Cat Transporter to make this a reality. There are initial upfront costs involved before transporting him. He'll need a health certificate for interstate travel, current vaccines, FeLV test and flea treatment. Also, travel supplies include a cat carrier, food, litter, a cat litter box, paper towels and cleaning wipes, along with cat dishes. The kindhearted people transporting are all volunteers!" she wrote on GoFundMe, which raised $2,275 so far. In an update, she added, "Bob is in Boarding and receiving required Vetting in preparation for his flight home! I'm overwhelmed with the loving kindness in response to our story! He truly is My Miracle Cat! Thank You!"