Stray Cat Found in Michigan Was Missing for 5 Years — and Her Owner Lives in Germany

Staff at a West Michigan animal shelter were stunned to learn that a stray cat they took in belonged to someone living thousands of miles away in Germany.

How a Michigan Family Found the Stray Cat

The cat was taken in about six months ago by a family in Montague, a small town on the shore of Lake Michigan about 20 miles north of Muskegon. Unfortunately, the cat didn’t get along with the family’s other pets, so they brought her to Oceana County Animal Friends in hopes of finding her a new fur-ever home.

The Missing Cat's Microchip Changed Everything

Amy VanderWilk, the nonprofit’s director, told WZZM-TV that she brought the cat to the shelter’s veterinary office to be spayed and discovered the animal was microchipped.

The microchip revealed the cat’s name was Trixie, but it also revealed something shocking: her owner lives in Germany.

Surprised by the discovery, shelter staff began piecing together Trixie’s backstory and soon started arranging a reunion.

Meet the Owner — and Her International Story

According to WZZM, the cat’s owner, Olga Heigis, had lived in West Michigan before moving to Germany in 2020 for her husband’s job. She says Trixie disappeared a few months before their move and hadn’t been seen since — until now.

✈️ A Reunion Five Years in the Making

Heigis has since made plans to fly back to the U.S. and is expected to reunite with Trixie by the end of the month.

“When I talked to [Heigis], she had a friend who was on the phone,” VanderWilk said. “And he just kept getting on the phone, saying, ‘Oh my God, you’ve made her day. She’s just so excited and she’s so happy.’”

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