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Lowe's Staff Mount 85‑Mile Rescue to Reunite With Beloved Store Cat

02:04 PM, 12/06/2025

Francine, a former stray who spent nearly a decade in the garden department of a Richmond Lowe's, vanished and was feared to have ridden a freight truck to a distribution center in Statesville, North Carolina, about 85 miles away. Store and distribution-center staff coordinated a multi-pronged search using bait, a thermal drone and a 360-degree camera. Surveillance footage eventually located Francine in a cargo-truck parking area, and employees recovered her and returned her to Richmond. The emotional reunion reunited Francine with her caretakers as she resumed greeting customers.

Lowe's Staff Mount 85‑Mile Rescue to Reunite With Beloved Store Cat

In Richmond, Virginia, Francine — a former stray who had become a beloved fixture in the garden department of a local Lowe's for nearly a decade — disappeared several months ago, touching off a determined search by store employees and distribution-center staff.

Wayne Schneider, the Lowe's employee who cared for Francine, suspected she might have accidentally boarded a freight truck bound for the company's large distribution center in Statesville, North Carolina, about 85 miles away. Concerned she could be hiding among pallets or vehicles, Schneider contacted distribution-center managers Preston Bullock and Taylor Taconet for help.

“Our mission is to solve problems,” Taconet said, and the team treated Francine's disappearance like a rescue operation. They tried multiple tactics: leaving Fancy Feast as bait, deploying a thermal drone to scan the property, and conducting searches with a high-end 360-degree camera.

For a time the efforts produced no sign of Francine. The breakthrough came when surveillance footage captured a grainy image of her in a cargo-truck parking area. Using that lead, staff were able to locate and safely collect her.

“I could have cried, I’ll be honest,” said Taconet. “I was so overjoyed. Tears were just coming down my face, that we had found her.”

Sida and Schneider drove to the Statesville distribution center, secured Francine in a vehicle, and brought her back to Richmond. She has since resumed her familiar routine — prowling the garden department and posing for customers.

Francine’s recovery delighted staff and shoppers alike, and the effort highlighted the bonds that form between community animals and the people who care for them.

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