Francine the Lowe’s cat is still making national news.
“CBS Sunday Morning” featured Richmond’s favorite feline over the weekend.
The show’s crew traveled to Richmond to film Michael Sida, the Richmond store manager, and Wayne Schneider, a Lowe’s associate, who shared their story about finding Francine.
“She wasn’t quite as friendly in the very beginning,” Sida told CBS News. “But after a little while, she found her way into a lot of people’s hearts, I guess you could say.”
To recap: In late September, Francine, a beloved stray cat who had made the Lowe’s on Broad Street her home for eight years, went missing.
Turns out, Francine walked onto a freight truck and was accidentally carried to a Lowe’s distribution center in Garysburg, North Carolina — about 85 miles away.
Reporter Steve Hartman told the story of her rescue: how traps were set, flyers distributed, thermal drones flown overhead, and then her dramatic reappearance on surveillance video.
Schneider said when Francine was found, “I was so overjoyed. Tears were just coming down my face, that we had found her.”
Francine appeared in the segment, back in her old routine, prowling the store and posing for customers.
“It’s good to see her back where she belongs,” Sida said.
The heartwarming story of Francine’s return was covered by numerous outlets, including The Washington Post, The Associated Press, USA Today and “Good Morning America.”