When you welcome a pet into your home, they become a big part of your family fairly quickly. Within a few weeks your entire routine has shifted to include them and your house would feel empty without them.

Janet Adamowicz adopted a sweet little tabby cat named Boo in 2001, but in 2005 her beloved cat went missing. She was only four years old at the time, but Adamowicz held on to the hope that her sweet little girl would come back.

She plastered her town with posters and even took out an add in the paper, but after a year of no updates, she assumed that she would never see Boo again.

After a few years she ended up bringing some new cats into her home. She adopted Ollie, a three-legged cat, in 2008 and Tessie in 2014.

But years later she received a phone call from the vet that would bring her whole family back together.

Adamowicz said,  "I got a call on Thursday to say I had a cat missing. I said 'I don't think I do, they're both here' - but they said we've looked on the system it says you own a cat called Boo."

She almost didn't believe it was possible, it had been 13 years since she had last seen her cat but when she arrived at the vet's office, there she was.

"I thought it was weird, but I couldn't believe it when I got to the vets and they had her there - and she still remembered me," Adamowicz said.

Boo was brought to the Wicstun Veterinary Clinic in York, 40 miles from her home, by someone who said that she had been lurking around the area for a few weeks, but she didn't leave her name.

"I don't know where she had been," Adamowicz wondered. "I think possibly a stray but kept being fed by strangers - or catching her own food."

Boo had always loved playing outside when she was young, but she always came home after her adventures. While no one will ever know what happened to Boo in her time away, Adamowicz is happy she's home.

"We don't know how she got all those 40 miles, it could have been many number of reasons. She has done well as a 17-year-old cat to last that long as a stray cat - it really is remarkable."

She's also impressed that Boo still seems to remember her. "Despite only being five-years-old she still remembers me and has been my shadow ever since coming home."

The now 17-year-old cat is adjusting to life in her home again, which involves adjusting to the other cats. "The other two cats are not impressed, but hopefully Boo is finally home for good."

The spokesperson for the vet clinic where Boo was brought said that this kind of scenario is unfortunately not uncommon, which is why it's so important to microchip your pets.

"Somehow she has traveled over 40 miles from home - she might have done that last week or 13 years ago. It's not uncommon for cats to nap in vans, sadly waking up to find themselves many miles away from where they should be."

But the fact that Boo recognized her mom instantly had everyone in tears.

"However, Boo recognized her mum straight away and within minutes the two were thoroughly enjoying plenty of face rubs, cuddles and meows. Let us reassure you that there wasn't a dry eye in the building. All thanks to a microchip implanted 17 years ago and keeping details up to date."

So this just goes to show you how important it is to get your pet microchipped, and to never give up on them finding their way back home!

While microchipping is the best option, if you know you have a pet who wanders in your neighborhood and you want to be able to keep an eye on them, there are a lot of GPS collars that will help you track them from your phone.

For example, Whistle is a GPS tracker that can find your pet across the entire country! You can get it on Amazon here.

Loc8tor is a little bit smaller and great for cats like Boo who tend to go off on their own adventures, and you can get it here. (Full disclosure, if you choose to buy these we will make a small percentage.)

So happy for Boo and her family! She will get to live the luxurious life she deserves after being on her own for so long.

More animal stories from Shared:

Dog Left In A Park With His Favorite Toy And A Note Finally Finds The Love He Deserves

Puppy Was Brought To Be Put Down Because "He Wouldn't Play" But The Rescue Discovered The Truth

Cat Was Found Alone And Injured, But With A Little Help Her Crooked Smile Became A Thing Of The Past

Source - LADBible