This past week, a family in Sandwich, MA, received the best gift they could’ve wished for – to be reunited with their family pet who had been missing for nearly four months.

Neville reunited with his family.

Neville, a five-year-old male cat, was recently brought into the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s (ARL) Brewster Animal Care and Adoption Center, by a Good Samaritan from Sagamore Beach.

The cat’s finder noticed him around their property in early November.

Neville would steal bread that was tossed for the crows and would stare into the window of the finder’s home looking for food!

The finder realized the cat seemed friendly, and concerned that there was a family out there missing him, the Good Samaritan was eventually able to trap the cat and bring him to ARL.

The cat was given a thorough veterinary exam and found to be in good health. He did not have a collar or identification tags, and was not microchipped.

Neville’s finder had posted a photo of the cat on a Facebook lost pet community page, and when his owner Moira saw his photo, she reached out immediately.

Once confirming the cat had been taken to ARL, Moira contacted the shelter and promptly made the trip from Sandwich to Brewster with high hopes of being reunited with her lost animal.

With documentation and photos in hand, it was quickly determined that Neville was indeed the missing cat and was soon back in his home where he belongs – just in time for Christmas!

Is your pet lost?

ARL is thrilled Neville was able to be reunited with his family, and encourages pet owners to have their animals fitted with a collar, and ID tags.

In addition, a microchip drastically increases the chances of being reunited with a lost pet.

Should your pet go missing, ARL urges pet owners to report the lost pet to local animal control, local humane organizations like ARL, as well as social media pages dedicated to finding lost pets.

You can also alert neighbors, and post missing animal posters in your neighborhood and surrounding areas.

For more tips regarding a lost pet, log onto arlboston.org/ilostmypet/.