Four months after going missing, Meep is back home.
HOPATCONG — Even after she moved away, April Demeester never stopped looking for her lost cat.
But this morning, her search came to an end. For Demeester, being reunited with her cat Meep is her own Christmas miracle.
"It's been a long, long time. It's the greatest Christmas, it really is," she said.
Meep was found earlier today stuck in a bush by Hopatcong Animal Control Officer Dale Sloat, according to police.
A resident of Tulsa Trail called animal control after discovering that the 10-pound tabby had gotten his collar stuck on a branch and had a laceration under his front leg.
It was four months ago that their cat went missing. Meep, who is named after a character on the children's show Phineas and Ferb, ran off in late August while his owner was taking out the trash and he got spooked, Demeester, 40, said.
A month later, she and her husband moved about a half mile away, still tearful over their missing pet.
"Not a day went by that we didn't wonder about him," she said. Like any dutiful pet owner, Demeester spread the word about her missing cat, posting on Facebook and local news websites in hopes of being reunited.
"We kept going back to our old house," she said. "We had everybody in the neighborhood looking for him."
But in the end, it was Meep's implanted microchip that was his saving grace. Once picked up by Sloat, Meep got scanned and was quickly brought to Demeester's front door this morning.
"I was ecstatic — you had no idea. I leaped out of bed. I said to my husband, 'Meep's coming home!'"
Though the tabby's lost some weight, he is faring well overall, she said. He is due for a veterinarian trip soon to treat his injuries.