Francine the Lowe’s cat has been found
Francine the Lowe's Cat. Photo by Molly Manning.
Molly Manning, News Editor
Richmond’s beloved resident Lowe’s cat, Francine, has returned back home from a “business trip” to North Carolina thanks to various local organizations and community support.
The local calico celebrity was reported missing by a community member via a Reddit post on Sept. 17. Ten days later, Elise Gilmore and Chas Nabi created the Instagram page and hashtag “WheresFrancine,” dedicated to returning her to her Broad Street home and updating the community throughout the process.
Gilmore and Nabi, along with a group of volunteers dubbed “Task Force Francine,” set out for Garysburg, North Carolina on Sept. 29, where Francine had taken an unintentional road trip on a Lowe’s distribution truck.
With the help of the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Northampton County Animal Control, the volunteers distributed flyers, set out food, humane traps and other items with her scent.
In addition, the Garysburg Lowe’s brought in thermal drones to scan the distribution center, according to Lowe’s. On Oct. 4, Francine was spotted for the first time on one of the 246 cameras in the center. A day later, she was reunited with Lowe’s associate Wayne Schneider.
“She looked at us and gave this big meow like, ‘What took you so long?’” Schneider said in a Lowe’s press release.
Francine has spent the last eight years at the Lowe’s on West Broad Street, where she has been cemented as a well-loved Richmond icon.
The “WheresFrancine” account is a little over a week old, but has already garnered over 31,000 followers and hundreds of shares, in addition to Richmonders and local news organizations posting their own favorite Francine photos to show their support for her search.
On Oct. 5, a day before Francine’s return home, the Instagram account shared a collection of artist submissions and statements including songs, paintings and poems about what she means to the community.
One artist, “SundanceCowboy,” shared a song he wrote for Francine and stated, “She’s as much of a symbol for the 804 as the James or the VMFA.”
In honor of her return, the Richmond SPCA waived adoption fees for all of their kitties Oct. 6-7.
“WheresFrancine” requested community members not visit her at Lowe’s so she can rest, but that a celebration of her return will be announced soon.
