For a few weeks this fall, Richmond was missing one of its own. Francine, the cat who’s lived at the Lowe’s on West Broad for eight years, had vanished.
You probably saw the flyers, or the posts online. People worried. Customers stopped by the store just to ask. And somehow, in a city that can’t agree on parking or politics, everyone agreed that Francine needed to come home.
What followed was something you don’t see much anymore: a corporate giant acting like a neighbor, and a neighborhood acting like a family. But let’s be honest, it didn’t start that way. It started with pressure.
The outpouring of calls, emails, and messages from customers and locals made it impossible to ignore. So Lowe’s didn’t shrug it off as just a lost cat. They sent drones. Hired trackers. Coordinated with animal control. Employees from Richmond to North Carolina kept watch through the night and to their credit, they followed through.
And then, after weeks of false alarms and grainy footage, she appeared on camera at a Lowe’s distribution center 85 miles south. Store manager Mike Sida and associate Wayne Schneider drove down at 4 a.m. with Francine’s dish in hand. A rattle of food. A soft meow. A trap triggered, and she was safe.
Now she’s back where she belongs.
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Francine Fest will be held at Mainline Brewery on October 8 from 5–10 PM, benefiting Richmond SPCA, SOS Cats RVA, and Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC). Ten percent of proceeds from the evening will go directly to the Richmond SPCA.
The event will include a donation drive for RACC with an upcoming post listing items in need and an Amazon wishlist for those who want to give from afar. There’ll also be a raffle featuring Francine merch, plus items and gift cards from local artists and businesses. Raffle tickets will be on sale from 5–8:45 PM, with winners announced at 9 PM.
At 6 PM, the team behind wheresfrancine will make a special announcement, followed by live music from local musicians from 6:30–10 PM.
And Richmond SPCA has waived adoption fees for cats and kittens on October 6–7 in honor of Francine’s return.
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