A local family is celebrating a reunion, thanks to Regional Animal Services of King County, after their long-lost cat was found in SeaTac.

Sherrie Fox and her family lost their cat, Oscar, about three years ago when he ran away from their home in Auburn. For months, Fox visited the King County Pet Adoption Center in Kent almost daily looking for her feline friend, with no luck.

That all changed on Thursday when King County Animal Services Officer Pam McLaren discovered Oscar in SeaTac. After finding a loose cat, Officer McLaren scanned him to see if he had a microchip. He did, and Officer McLaren was able to obtain the owners' contact information. Officer McLaren was surprised to discover that the cat was one that had been reported missing back in 2008.

"I was absolutely astonished to find Oscar," said Officer McLaren. "We knew Sherrie well because she came into the Pet Adoption Center dozens of times looking for her cat. We even called her when we found similar cats in the past, but none of them were Oscar.

"When we called Sherrie to tell her that we found Oscar, she was so excited that she and her husband rushed down to the King County Pet Adoption Center in record time. Seeing the joy on their faces when they saw him again made me proud to work for Regional Animal Services."

"When we got the call from Officer McLaren, I almost couldn't believe it," Sherrie Fox said. "I looked at a picture of Oscar that we've kept on our mantle and just cried. I can't thank the staff of Regional Animal Services enough for bringing Oscar home."

"We are so happy we were able to get Oscar back to his family," said Glynis Frederiksen, operations manager for Regional Animal Services of King County. "On average, only two percent of lost cats are ever reunited with their owners, so we're glad that this story has a happy ending.

"It's also a great example of why we encourage owners to license and microchip their pets, and why we license and microchip every pet adopted from our center."

Other success stories like Oscar's could be coming in the near future, Frederiksen added.

"We're very excited about our new 'Project Reunite: Help and Hope for Lost Pets' program," she said. "Volunteers are being trained now to help reconnect lost pets with their families, and we can always use more eyes and ears on the street to help find wayward pets like Oscar."

SeaTac and Tukwila are part of the county's regional animal services. To volunteer for Regional Animal Services of King County, contact volunteer manager Sarah Luthens at sarah.luthens@kingcounty.gov or 206-296-3946.