Honey’s homecoming: How a cat lost during a travel stop in Henrico reunited with owners months later

Feb 6, 2026 - 18:25

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Honey’s homecoming: How a cat lost during a travel stop in Henrico reunited with owners months later

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — It’s a pet parent’s worst nightmare, and one Amanda Taggart waited months to wake up from.

Twenty-six-year-old Taggart, of Quakertown, Penn., was traveling from Colorado to Pennsylvania back in September 2025. After two 12-hour days of travel, Taggart and her husband, Shane, had decided to stop at the Hyatt Place hotel on Cox Road in Henrico County, Virginia.

“It was our last last leg of the trip and we were so close,” Taggart said.

When they arrived, it was around 12:30 a.m. The couple began unpacking their car and getting ready to take their cat, Honey, and dog, Yeti, inside their room.

“My husband had her carrier, he was carrying her in and I had the dog, I had the pet food, I had all of our bags and so my hands are full,” Taggart said. “I see her with her face push the zippers of the carrier open and just slip out... and that was the last time I saw her.”

Taggart watched as Honey managed to squeeze out of her carrier and disappear into the night in an unfamiliar town.

“I think we were up probably until about 3 o'clock in the morning looking for her until we were just physically so out of it and tired.” Taggart said. “We ended up staying an extra day and then ended up running out of time and we had to get up north.”

Taggart didn’t give up hope. As she settled into her new home in Pennsylvania, Taggart started joining Facebook groups in Virginia, posting photos of Honey on the lost and found pets website Paw Boost, and asking the Central Virginia community for help. Taggart said she received several phone calls, but not every call led to a tip.

“I was beside myself when we lost her,” Taggart said. “I think the hardest part dealing with that was the prank calls that we were getting.”

Never giving up hope, Taggart traveled back to Virginia every month and stayed at Hyatt Place hotel for a few days to search for Honey. Back at home, the family decided to adopt a senior cat who was FIV+ and had several health issues.

Taggart admitted they didn’t know how long their senior cat would live, who then died in early January. On Jan. 20, Taggart picked up the ashes of her senior cat.

The very next day, she received the call she had been longing for.

“I actually thought it was the spam call initially, so I didn't answer it, and I looked back at the transcription of the message, and I believe his name was Devin calling from the animal shelter,” Taggart said. “I was just staring at the message like ‘Oh my God, you're lying,’ I had to have listened to it like two or three times before I was like ‘Oh my God, I should call them back.’”

Taggart said the timing of both losing her senior cat and knowing Honey was still alive was “crazy,” adding that, “in a way, he almost helped her get home.”

Taggart made the final drive to Virginia on Jan. 23 and arrived at the Henrico County Police Animal Shelter.

There, she was greeted by staff who explained Honey had been brought in by a stranger who thought she was a stray cat. Thanks to Honey’s microchip, the shelter was able to find Taggart and share the news.

(Photo: Henrico County Police Animal Shelter)

(Photo: Amanda Taggart)

“It was surreal,” Taggart said when describing the moment she saw Honey again. “She started throwing herself up against the bars of the cage and trying to get out to me... being able to actually physically see her and touch her for the first time in almost four months, I was just overjoyed.”

When Taggart adopted Honey five years ago, Honey was already microchipped -- something both Taggart and the Henrico County Police Animal Shelter credit for the reunion.

“It is vitally important any pet that's microchipped is current, especially when a pet goes missing you want to make sure your microchip company has all your up-to-date information,” said Pamela Bridgmon, shelter manager for Henrico County Police Animal Shelter.

Bridgmon said pet parents can also list an emergency backup email or additional contact information to their pet’s microchip to ensure there are multiple ways a shelter can reunite a lost pet with a family member.

If a pet does go missing, Bridgmon said using social media or posting on lost and found pet websites, such as Paw Boost, can also help reunite a pet with its owner.

“In this particular instance, the employee when the cat came in was like, ‘I think I've seen a Paw Boost report on this cat,’ and he went back and looked and sure enough, he found the Paw Boost report,” Bridgmon said.

Taggart also gives credit to the stranger who found Honey, who was three miles away from where she originally went missing. Bridgmon said the stranger had spotted Honey for a couple months at a construction site before capturing her.

“That was genuinely the kindest thing bringing her home,” Taggart said.

Bridgmon said if a pet parent ever loses their pet, the first step is to call any animal shelter in their area. Pet parents should also keep in mind that the description of their animal may differ depending on the shelter, and providing a photo of their animal to a shelter is helpful in the long run.

Weeks after being reunited and brought back home, Taggart said Honey has settled in and now spends her time watching the birds from inside their home.

The Henrico County Police Animal Shelter is hosting an adoption pop-up event Saturday, February 8 from 10 a.m. to noon. To view adoptable pets, click this link.