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Francine the Calico Cat Is Back Home in a Lowe’s Store Virginia After going missing for a few weeks, hitching a ride on a truck that turned up at a sister facility in another state.
Two employees from one Lowe’s Richmond Made the 90-minute drive early Monday morning to pick up Francine, who disappeared in September and was recently discovered at the company’s distribution center in Garysburg, North Carolina,
She was back on the job Tuesday, playing with customers, posing for photos and soaking in the affection.
“Francine is one of us,” store supervisor Wayne Schneider said in a telephone interview. “He’s just amazing. What he means to the store and the employees here, you really can’t imagine the outpouring that the employees and customers also give him daily.”
Francine spends most of her time at the customer service desk or in the seasonal area of the store. But things flared up in September as the store brought in items for the upcoming Christmas season. The store’s general manager, Mike Sida, said the disinformation may have prompted Francine to seek solace elsewhere.
Store employees who had not seen Francine for a few days reviewed previous surveillance video. There were glimpses of her in the equipment section and then the receiving department, where she would dart into a truck. An overnight manager is seen closing the door of the truck and it heads to Garysburg, about 85 miles (137 kilometers) to the south.
“And then, of course, when she got down to the distribution center, he shot up the truck,” Sida said. “That’s when we found out where she was and she was missing.”
An animal control office set up humane traps at the distribution center, where photos of Francine were posted throughout. The center had dozens of surveillance cameras, and Lowe brought in thermal drones to survey the area. One Instagram The Akatik account with Lowe dedicated to finding Francine grew to more than 34,000 followers.
On Saturday, Francine was seen on camera near the distribution center. After more humane traps were set, a volunteer checked each trap overnight. Finally, one of the traps was triggered and Francine’s meows could be heard.
Schneider and Sida arrived in a car on Monday and went to get Francine.
“That ride down, knowing we were going to get her, was just heartbreaking. Knowing she’s safe and she’s coming back to the store to get off of her two-week vacation,” Schneider said.
Francine was a stray when she started living at the Lowe’s store more than eight years ago. Cats are a common sight around feed stores and garden centers, which contain large quantities of grains and seeds that can be attractive to mice and rats. In new york cityCats are beloved fixtures of the city’s bodegas and delis.
At the Lowe’s store, Francine “just showed up,” Sida said. “We had a little problem with rats. So, of course, I’m like, wow. I love this cat because it’s helping me.”
Lowe’s does not have an official policy regarding cats in stores. When asked why Francine was not taken to anyone’s residence after showing up, Sida said she loved the staff and the community.
“Francine raised us. We didn’t raise her,” Sida said. “Later, we’ll embrace her being our store cat. But at the end of the day, she came to us. She’s where she wants. She does what she wants.”
Unlike Lowe’s employees, Francine does not wear a vest. She was previously outfitted with several collars, but survived them all. Now they plan to fit him with a harness that includes identifying information.
A local brewery will host a “Francine Fest” community event on Wednesday to celebrate homecoming, while the store is planning its own team party.