Regular readers of Dispatches know I’m a sucker for a good cat story.

On my list of retirement projects one day is to fictionalize “The Adventures of Ms. Kitt,” a true story, first told in this space, of our family cat disappearing from Wharf Hill in the spring of 2021 and surfacing two months later off College Drive in North Suffolk. 

My email inbox last week brought inspiration for another potential character in that future children’s book: Crunchy, a Siamese from Lynchburg who was missing for nearly a month before the power of social media reunited her with her owner in early January.

Many thanks to Times reader for Dianna Keen for passing along the heartwarming story, which she very eloquently blogged at https://thesedaysofmine.com/2025/01/06/monday-morning-mews-crunchys-adventure/

Crunchy and her owner, Becca, were visiting Isle of Wight in early December when they decided to explore Ragged Island Wildlife Management Area, the 1,500-acre jewel of pine forest, saltwater marsh and sandy beaches along the James.

Crunchy escaped through an inadvertently open car door and, after a thorough search, was assumed to be lost forever. Becca’s mom back in Lynchburg posted a message on a Facebook page called Hampton Roads Lost and Found Pets. For weeks, the only responses were well-intentioned, generic tips for locating lost pets.

Flash forward to Jan. 4, when Gloucester County resident Nickolas Poast, on his own hike at Ragged Island, was approached by a scraggly Crunchy. He took her to the Isle of Wight County Animal Shelter and posted pictures on the Smithfield/IOWC 411 Facebook page. 

Alert readers who remembered Beatrice Mohr’s December post “tagged” her on Poast’s post.

“I was worried that she wouldn’t see the tags, so I private messaged her with info about the post and contact info for the animal shelter,” Keen told me. “She was so grateful and let her daughter know right away.”

Becca and Crunchy, a few pounds lighter, were united here in Isle of Wight the next morning. 

“And Crunchy’s family is so grateful, they’re making donations to the animal shelter to thank us for our part in reuniting her with her owner,” Keen said.

For all of the societal ills caused by social media, Crunchy’s story is a reminder of its capacity for good.

 

Steve Stewart is publisher of The Smithfield Times. His email address is steve.stewart@smithfieldtimes.com.