Francine, the beloved cat who went viral for living at a Lowe’s store in Richmond, Virginia, has finally been found after going missing in late September.
Francine is a calico kitty who has made her home at the Lowe’s hardware store on West Broad Street in Richmond, Virginia, for the last eight years.
She has become a staple part of the shopping experience and is a welcome sight for customers and employees, alike — but the furry worker went missing in late September, sparking panic from both locals and cat lovers online.
Employees say she wandered onto a delivery truck by accident, winding up at the regional Lowe’s distribution center in Garysburg, North Carolina — around 85 miles away from her store. Panic around her disappearance was so intense that a group of volunteers traveled to Garysburg themselves to retrieve her.
However, Lowe’s said they would only allow the Northhampton County Animal Control agency onto their property to rescue Francine, saying they had “confidence” the group would be able to successfully bring her home.
The SPCA got involved, with local organizations putting up posters and offering a $2K reward for anyone who was able to rescue the cat. Lowe’s even utilized thermal drones to scan the distribution center to help find Miss Francine.
Francine the Lowe’s cat returns home after a week missing
Finally, on October 4, 2025, she was spotted on security cameras. The next day, a group of workers at the Richmond Lowe’s location made the 90-minute-drive to the Garysburg distribution center, using traps baited with her favorite food to lure her out.
Images from the cameras show Francine cautiously checking out one of the cat traps in the center’s parking lot before one finally shut behind her. On October 6, Lowe’s employee Wayne Schneider and manager Mike Sida brought her home.
“She looked at us, and gave this big meow like, ‘What took you so long?’” Schneider recalled the rescue.
Sida echoed this sentiment. “From the start, we knew we’d do whatever it took to bring Francine home. She’s part of who we are here. …I can’t describe the feeling when we realized it was her. We all just lit up.”
Lowe’s thanked all the animal rescue organizations who helped with Francine’s retrieval in an official statement, describing Francine’s homecoming as “more than a feel-good moment – it’s an example of what community and love look like in action.
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