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Danielle Schultz with son Donovan, daughter Arianna, and Smokey, the cat who has...

Danielle Schultz with son Donovan, daughter Arianna, and Smokey, the cat who has made an unlikely return after eight years away. Credit: Jeff Bachner

Danielle Schultz thought she had seen the last of her cat, Smokey, when he went missing from her home in Queens nearly a decade ago while under the care of a relative.

At the time, Schultz and her 4-year-old son, Donovan, were on a monthslong visit to the Dominican Republic, where her then-husband had business opportunities. Smokey disappeared just a few weeks into that 2016 trip, so by the time Schultz returned to New York, she “just thought it was a lost cause.”

But last month, she received a shocking email: Smokey had been found after more than eight years by the Babylon Animal Shelter, nearly 30 miles from the family's Glendale home. Schultz called the shelter and said she “knew right away — I was like, ‘I have to go get him.’ ”

Her son "was so excited. When I told him, his eyes lit up. He was like, ‘You’re kidding me. We have to go get Smokey, Mom.’ He even said something like, ‘The universe doesn’t give us opportunities like this,’ ” Schultz told Newsday.

Smokey with Donovan, then 4, just before the cat disappeared.

Smokey with Donovan, then 4, just before the cat disappeared. Credit: Via Danielle Schultz

Smokey and Donovan after their reunion.

Smokey and Donovan after their reunion. Credit: Via Danielle Schultz

She said Donovan “remembered the cat and had even brought up the cat several times since he went missing. He’d be like, ‘Do you remember our cat Smokey?’ ”

Smokey had been living with a woman who took him in as a stray, according to Babylon Animal Shelter director Chris Elton, who said the woman’s son brought the cat to the shelter on May 8 after his mother died.

Beyond those few details, Smokey’s journey over the past eight years is largely a mystery — but Elton’s staff was able to track down Smokey’s original family thanks to a microchip that had been embedded in the cat at a Brooklyn shelter before Schultz adopted him.

“This case is fairly routine, except for the time differential, which is extremely unusual,” Elton said, explaining that his staffers always scan for microchips when pets arrive at the shelter. He added that reuniting a pet with its owners after multiple years is “rather uncommon, but it has happened before.”

Pet owners can get their pet chipped or check to see if their animals have microchips at most “reputable” veterinarian offices and animal shelters, according to Elton. The shelter director added that, in order for owners to be reunited with lost pets, they must register their chip and ensure it has the correct owner information.

Companies like HomeAgain — which managed Smokey’s chip — and the American Kennel Club allow owners to register their chips for roughly $20, according to their websites.

Smokey after his return.

Smokey after his return. Credit: Jeff Bachner

Smokey was finally reunited with his original family on May 17. Schultz drove to the Babylon shelter with her daughter, Arianna, 7, who “wasn’t even alive” when the cat went missing, and said Smokey “immediately came over to us” when shelter workers let him out of his kennel.

“It’s hard to tell if he remembered us or if he’s just an extremely friendly cat. But he really took to us right away,” Schultz said. “He was just like the cat I remembered, just a roughed-up version. … I just knew it was him.”

Since arriving back in Queens, Smokey “just likes to sleep, eat and get pets,” according to Schultz. She said he’s now an elderly cat who “chills on the couch” with Donovan, who's now 13, and Smokey “puts up with” the family’s energetic pet bunny.

“It has been amazing. He’s like a little ball of love. He is so friendly, just the most chill cat,” she said. “We just love having him.”

Smokey's long road home

  • The cat went missing from Danielle Schultz's home in Glendale, Queens, in 2016.
  • Smokey had been living with a woman who took him in as a stray, according to Babylon Animal Shelter director Chris Elton.
  • Elton said the woman’s son brought the cat to the shelter on May 8 after his mother died.
  • Elton’s staff was able to track down Smokey’s original family thanks to a microchip that had been embedded in the cat at a Brooklyn shelter before Schultz adopted him.
  • Smokey was reunited with Schultz on May 17.
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