When a calico stray cat wandered into a Virginia Lowe’s eight years ago, the store must have felt like heaven. The box store, with its outdoor garden and feed section, had plenty of rodents for her to hunt. And there were new people walking through the doors every day to give her attention.

General Manager Mike Sida remembers the cat “just showed up.” He explains, “We had a bit of a mice problem. So, of course, I’m like, wow. I like this cat a lot because it’s helping me.”

The cat spent most days camped out at the customer service center and enjoyed the steady stream of attention from customers. The staff named her “Francine,” and she soon became an unofficial mascot of the location. Then, in September 2025, Francine disappeared.

Some folks wondered if she’d just decided to move on. But Sida argues, “Francine picked us. We didn’t pick her. Later, we would embrace her being our store cat. But at the end of the day, she came to us. Where she’s at is where she wants to be. She does whatever she wants.”

Everyone began to expect that something had happened to Francine. The staff missed her, the shoppers missed her, and soon it became obvious the entire town missed her. When someone started an unofficial account on Instagram dedicated to finding Francine, it immediately grew to 34,000 followers.

The Lowe’s company realized how important Francine is to the entire community. After reviewing security footage, staff members finally spotted Francine wandering into an open delivery truck. Before she woke up, the driver closed the door and continued to a distribution facility in North Carolina.

Sida explains, “When she got down to the distribution center, she shot off the truck. That’s when we found out where she was and she was missing.”

Finding out where Francine was is one thing. Finding the cat herself turned out to be another problem altogether.

Volunteers installed have-a-heart traps. Lowe’s corporate sent thermal drones to search the area. But it was one of the distribution center’s security cameras that suddenly spotted Francine. The sighting sent a wave of hope through the community. Then, Francine wandered into one of the traps.

As soon as Sida got the news, he drove to North Carolina. The staff rolled out the “blue carpet” for Francine’s arrival and were eager to greet her home—with a new Apple AirTag for her. The community is celebrating; a local brewery is even throwing a “Francine Fest” event to honor her return. But while everyone’s toasting the Lowe’s cat, she’ll be back home, busy exploring the Christmas decorations in her home in the seasonal aisle.