After 20 Days Missing Across State Lines, the Beloved Lowe’s Cat Is Back to Work

After a few weeks of unplanned vacation time, Francine the cat is back to work at Lowe’s.

Francine has been a staple of the West Broad Street Lowe’s in Richmond, Virginia since 2017. She had wandered into the store as a stray and the employees were immediately charmed by her. Francine lives in the Lowe’s and is fed and cared for by the employees. She’s so popular with the customers that store manager Mike Sida told the Washington Post that some people just swing by the store solely to visit Francine. 

Get 20% off 
PrettyLitter, just for our kin

Save on the litter with color-changing tech that helps you better care for your cat.

Get Your Coupon

“She’s the first stop for probably 75 percent of our customers,” said Sida. “She’s extremely friendly, and she loves people.”

So when Francine didn’t show up for dinner one evening in mid-September, the employees became concerned. They began their search for Francine — a search that turned into a rallying cry across the community. 

The West Broad Street Lowe’s employees managed to find Francine on the surveillance footage. Apparently, as the store prepared for the upcoming holiday season, the loading disrupted Francine’s routine and she left her usual stomping grounds to seek some peace and quiet in different parts of the store. After wandering the appliance section and the receiving department, she darted into a truck … which then drove off 85 miles south to a distribution center in Garysburg, Virginia. 

From there, Francine fled into the 1.4 million square foot distribution center. 

Lowe’s employees partnered with the North Hampton Animal Control to set humane traps around the center and distribute flyers with Francine’s picture. They even brought in thermal drones and thermal cameras to track down the missing cat.

But it wasn't just Francine's coworkers who led the search. Many across the Richmond community got together to look for Francine.

Chas Nabi, a concerned citizen totally unaffiliated with Lowe’s started an Instagram accoun t (wheresfrancine), urging other members of the community to report any sightings of Francine. The account continued to give updates and helped organized the on-the-ground search with spreadsheets. SOS Cats RVA, a local nonprofit dedicated to trap, neutering, and returning cats, offered a $2000 reward. It was a full-on community-wide cat-hunt.

On Oct. 4, Francine made an appearance on the security cameras. Sida and West Broad Lowe’s associate Wayne Schneider assembled a team and drove the 90 minutes to Garysburg, making sure to take along Francine’s favorite food. But even after shaking the bag around — a tried and true method for any cat parent locating their missing pet — Francine had yet to appear. So the duo drove back to Richmond.

But late Sunday, Francine appeared on the security cameras again. And this time, she wandered into one of the humane traps. Schneider and Sida drove out at 4 a.m. on Monday to rescue their missing coworker. 

“She was crying a little bit once we got her,” Schneider told the Washington Post. “Then she got in my arms and it just felt like pure joy.”

After being gone for almost 20 days, Francine made her grand return to Lowe’s on Oct. 7. The staff even rolled out a blue carpet for her epic homecoming, and employees gathered to cheer her on. Before her great escape, she didn’t have any sort of uniform, but she’s now equipped with a harness that has identifying information and also AirTag. Next time she wanders off, her coworkers will be able to find her.

And to rightfully celebrate Francine’s return, the community is hosting “Francine Fest” this evening at Mainline Brewery featuring live musicians, food trucks, and a pet supply drive. It’s a free event, with 10 percent of proceeds going to SOS Cats RVA, the Richmond SPCA, and the Richmond Animal Care and Control. Francine herself will not be attending, though. According to the wheresfrancine Instagram, “she is enjoying her much needed beauty rest after a long trip.”

“We care for Francine so much, and we’re so thankful for everyone who helped, from our associates to animal control and our neighbors,” Sida said in a Lowe’s corporate story. “She’s more than our store cat – she’s part of our family.”