We will always owe a great debt of gratitude to ARC, and especially to Karen.
We had been adopted by what we thought was a stray cat, but we knew we needed to check that he wasn’t chipped so we could adopt him properly ourselves or else reunite him with his rightful owner. However, we had been told by a vet nearby that if we took him there, and he was found to be chipped but the owner could not be immediately contacted, we would not be allowed to hold onto the cat in the meantime while the owner was located. Instead, he would be taken off us, and might possibly end up at a local cat sanctuary. We could not face that possibility, but nevertheless knew that he had to be checked and the situation resolved one way or the other.
Some friends who knew of ARC’s work recommended us to ask if they could assist in sorting this out. Accordingly, we contacted Karen and she offered to help. We brought the cat to her and she found that he was indeed chipped. She read the chip and contacted the owner for us. His original owner was glad to know that he was safe and was willing for us to keep him as he was happy with us. We were hugely grateful.
This wonderful outcome is down to the empathy and care shown (and taken) by Karen towards all concerned – us, the original owner, and the animal himself. We will never forget her and ARC for it – and nor will a very contented little cat.