Maggie P. had a rough couple of years – death, crises, and a painful breakup. She moved into her own place in the Valley and left her cats with her ex while they tried to figure out what to do about their beloved pets. But then the unthinkable happened. Shilo, their “number one son,” bolted out the front door. He’d done that a few times in the past, stay out for a night, and then come home slinking back the next morning for breakfast. They’d punish him with kisses and promise to watch the door more closely. But this time was different.
This time Shilo didn’t come home the next morning, or several mornings after that. He had been her favorite, the prince of the house, a gorgeous Snowshoe who was smart and friendly, chocolate and white, with blue eyes and fur as soft as a bunny. He liked to dig his way under the covers and sleep stretched out against Maggie’s belly, with his arm over her neck. He tolerated all their new foster arrivals well, and managed to hold his own against the bigger toms. He wasn’t their only cat. They had also rescued, tamed, and fostered a whole group of ferals from the backyard, and brought many of them to FixNation to be spayed and neutered. Most of them had been the offspring of one prodigious and tough local “Mama Katz” who would drop each new litter at their back door, knowing the once happy couple would feed them and take them in. Maggie P. finally managed to trap Mama and get her spayed as well, which the cat never forgave her for. Although they adopted out many of her beautiful offspring through Kitten Rescue, they ended up with a few of their own, and that’s how their feline crew had grown. But Shilo was gone and their family felt incomplete.
Maggie posted a notice with Home Again, her microchip provider, and her ex put signs up around the neighborhood and sent postcards through Pet Harbor. When it became clear that Shilo wasn’t coming back, the devastation and the dread began to sink in. This was the last straw to break an already strained relationship, and they stopped communicating completely.
But life is full of surprises, and clouds give way to sunshine. On Valentine’s Day, Maggie got a call from FixNation saying that they had Shilo. She was ecstatic. By this time, he’d been gone 3-1/2 months and she’d given up on ever seeing him again. Apparently he had traveled over 3 miles to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and a wonderful woman named Micheline, who helps manage a feral colony there, trapped him and brought him in to be neutered, only to discover that he was someone’s pet! Thankfully because he had a microchip, FixNation was able to scan his chip and find her information. Maggie rushed over as fast as she could, and found the staff at FixNation so sweet and helpful, just as eager to see them be reunited as she was to hold Shilo in her arms.
When Maggie saw Shilo, she couldn’t believe he was alive. He’d lost half his body weight and was covered in fleas. But he was okay! He was there in front of her! She held him and breathed in his fur. The excitement and joy were tangible. And when she got to her car, she felt compelled to do something she hadn’t done in a long time: She finally called her ex, who surprised Maggie by saying that she should keep him. She cried with relief and gratitude, not only because she had her boy back, but also because Shilo had brought a moment of healing into an old relationship. Since then, Maggie and her ex have been able to see each other and slowly begin talking again. They’ve agreed to co-parent Shilo, even though he lives with Maggie, and Shilo is getting healthier and happier every day.
Maggie is incredibly grateful to Micheline and the entire staff at FixNation for their unbelievable help and kindness. She remains a huge advocate for microchipping pets, as she knows without that, Shilo would never have found his way home. She believes that sometimes miracles do come true, and that dark times always give way to light.
