Francine the calico cat is back home at a Lowe's store in 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 a Lowe's in Richmond made the 90-minute drive early Monday to pick up Francine, who disappeared in September and recently was 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 affection.
"Francine is one of us," store supervisor Wayne Schneider said in a telephone interview. "She's just amazing. What she means here to the store and the employees, you really can't imagine the outpouring that the employees and also the customers give her daily."
Francine spends much of her time either at the customer service desk or in the store's seasonal area. But things went awry in September as the store brought in items for the upcoming Christmas season. Store general manager Mike Sida said that disruption may have prompted Francine to seek comfort elsewhere.
After store employees hadn't seen Francine for a few days, they reviewed past surveillance video. There were glimpses of her in the appliance section and then the receiving department, where she darted into a truck. An overnight manager is then seen shutting the truck's door and off it went to Garysburg, about 85 miles (137 kilometers) to the south.
"And then, of course, when she got down to the distribution center, she shot off 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 monitoring cameras, and Lowe's brought in thermal drones to survey the area. An Instagram account unaffiliated with Lowe's dedicated to finding Francine grew to more than 34,000 followers.
On Saturday, Francine was spotted on camera near the distribution center. After more humane traps were installed, a volunteer checked each trap throughout the night. Finally, one of the traps triggered and Francine's meows could be heard.
Schneider and Sida got in a car early Monday and drove to get Francine.
"That ride going down, knowing that we were going to get her, was just heartwarming. Knowing she's safe and that she's coming back to the store to get off 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 common sightings around feed stores and garden centers, which contain large amounts of grain and seed that can be attractive to mice and rats. In New York City, cats are beloved fixtures of the city's bodegas and delis.
At the Lowe's store, Francine "just showed up," Sida said. "We had a bit of a mice problem. So, of course, I'm like, wow. I like this cat a lot because it's helping me."
Lowe's doesn't have an official policy about cats in stores. Asked why Francine wasn't taken to someone's residence after showing up, Sida said she is loved by employees and the community.
"Francine picked us. We didn't pick her," Sida said. "Later, we would embrace her being our store cat. But at the end of the day, she came to us. Where she's at is where she wants to be. She does whatever she wants."
Unlike Lowe's employees, Francine does not wear a vest. She had been previously outfitted with several collars but escaped them all. Now they plan on fitting her with a harness that includes identifying information.
A local brewery will host a "Francine Fest" community event on Wednesday to celebrate the homecoming, while the store is planning its own team party.
