Beloved Lowe’s Store Cat Is Finally Found In Neighboring State After Security Footage Reveals Clues

Beloved Lowe’s Store Cat Is Finally Found In Neighboring State After Security Footage Reveals Clues

Francine’s tenure might be as long as any hardware store employee in Virginia—because this white, speckled stray cat wandered into the Lowe’s near Richmond in 2017, and has been a mainstay of the branch ever since.

“She’s the first stop for probably 75 percent of our customers,” Lowe’s store manager Mike Sida told the Washington Post.

“She’s extremely friendly, and she loves people. There’s a lot of people that come here just to visit Francine.”

But last month, the calico cat went missing and everyone was flooded with worry: Where’s Francine?

A missing pet poster was printed with her picture that advertised a $2,000 reward.

And Chas Nabi, who frequently visits Francine at the store, created a “Where’s Francine?” Instagram page that quickly went viral, attracting almost 35,000 followers.

(Below is an example of the poster art shared by followers…)

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The first clue in the mystery of her disappearance came from store security cameras. Francine was spied in footage wandering into the back of a delivery truck headed to a regional distribution center in Garysburg, North Carolina.

More clues were gathered by workers at the warehouse who tried using thermal drones. Others tried to lure her into a number of humane traps, and routinely checked the 246 surveillance cameras for any sign of her in the vast distribution center (measuring over a million square feet).

But after nine years of hanging out at Lowe’s, Francine had plenty of friends willing to do whatever was necessary—and, on October 4, a familiar feline appeared on one of the security tapes (see the video below). It was Francine.

The Lowe’s employees who feed Francine every morning, Manager Sida and Wayne Schneider, immediately drove the 85 miles to the distribution center to retrieve their beloved four-legged friend. But even with some kibble and Francine’s favorite rattle, they couldn’t draw her out of hiding, so returned to Virginia.

Finally, 17 days after she first went missing, Francine walked into one of the traps to get some food at the distribution center. Mike and Wayne drove back to North Carolina, but this time, they wouldn’t be headed home empty-handed.

“She was crying a little bit once we got her.” Wayne said. “Then she got in my arms and it just felt like pure joy.”

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With all the social media attention surrounding her disappearance, Francine received something of a hero’s welcome upon her return. (See the video from ABC below…)

The mayor of Richmond, Danny Avula, even celebrated Francine’s return on Instagram: “Your compassion, dedication and community spirit remind me of why this city is so special,” he wrote.

Francine is back at work, but now she wears a harness and tracking tag to ensure she can always be found.

The cat’s adventure ended, but a few lessons beyond Francine remained.

Nabi, who started the Where’s Francine? page, continues to see a steady stream of traffic and positive posts in the aftermath of the cat’s return.

“During incredibly polarized times,” Nabi said, “It’s amazing to see everybody, no matter what their background is, come together over this little cat.”