---
title: "Microchip reunites a cat with her family six years on"
canonical: https://smallgoodthings.org/stories/pandora-cat-microchip-reunion-six-years-2026/
sourceName: "BBC News"
sourceUrl: "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crje8p11ddnyo"
datePublished: 2026-10-23T00:00:00.000Z
dateModified: 2026-10-23T00:00:00.000Z
---

# Microchip reunites a cat with her family six years on

Pandora the cat escaped in 2020 when her family's car crashed in Perthshire while they were moving house. Six years later, a Cats Protection volunteer scanned a cat near Perth and found Pandora's microchip, with the family's details still on record. She is now back home.

## What happened?

In 2020, Billy Bowie was in a car crash near Errol, Perthshire, while the family was moving from Essex to Aberdeenshire. Pandora's cat basket was thrown from the vehicle, and she escaped.

The family searched through a local Facebook group and made several trips back to Errol, without success.

## How was she found?

In 2026, a woman contacted Cats Protection about a cat that kept trying to get into her house. Volunteer Fiona Morrison went to check and scanned the cat for a microchip. "I was delighted to see that there was one," she said.

The chip record still held contact details for the family, registered to an address in Fraserburgh. Cats Protection rang Mary Bowie on 9 August while the family was celebrating her birthday. Pandora had been found near Perth, about ten miles from Errol, where she was lost.

A few days later, the couple travelled to the Cats Protection branch to collect her. Mary Bowie said Pandora responded to her name straight away.

Fiona Morrison has volunteered with Cats Protection for 26 years. She said reuniting Pandora with her family was the highlight of her time there.

## Why microchips matter

A collar can come off, but a microchip stays with the animal. Mary Bowie urged all cat owners to get their cats chipped and to keep their details up to date.

Cat microchipping is already compulsory in England. In Scotland, charities estimate that around 69% of cats are microchipped and are campaigning for it to become compulsory.

PetHealth, which has the same owner as Small Good Things, explains [microchipping pets in the UK](https://pethealth.org.uk/health/microchipping-pets-uk), including how to update your details on a database.

## Reporting notes

We checked the BBC's report of 21 September 2026 and STV's report of 22 September. The reunion took place in August 2026. The quotes appear to come from Cats Protection. Where Pandora lived for six years is not known. Sources disagree on the owner's age, so we have left it out.

## Sources

- [BBC News · 21 September 2026](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crje8p11ddnyo): Account of the crash, the search, the microchip scan and the reunion, with quotes from the owner and volunteer.
- [STV News · 22 September 2026](https://news.stv.tv/north/cat-reunited-with-owners-six-years-after-going-missing-in-car-crash): Separate report with the same account and quotes.

## Common questions

### How was Pandora identified after six years?

A Cats Protection volunteer scanned the cat for a microchip and found one. The chip record still held contact details for the family, registered to their address in Fraserburgh.

### What does Pandora's owner advise other cat owners?

Mary Bowie urged all cat owners to have their cats microchipped and to keep their details up to date.

Primary source: [BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crje8p11ddnyo)