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RICHMOND, Va. β When Francine the cat disappeared from a Richmond Lowe's store, employees launched an extraordinary rescue mission that spanned two states and involved thermal drones, high-tech cameras and pure determination.
For nearly a decade, Francine had been more than just a store cat at the Lowe's in Richmond, Virginia. The former stray had become a local celebrity, spending her days in the garden department and winning over customers and employees alike.
"She wasn't quite as friendly in the very beginning, but after a little while she found her way into a lot of people's hearts," said Mike Sida, the store manager who considered Francine his favorite employee, told CBS News' Steve Hartman.
But a few months ago in September, Francine vanished without a trace.
Wayne Shneider, Francine's primary caretaker, suspected the worst.
"I just had a gut feeling that she was gone," Shneider said.
WATCH: Search for Richmond's 'very special' Lowe's cat Francine goes viral: 'She means a lot'
He believed Francine must have wandered onto a freight truck bound for Lowe's massive distribution center in North Carolina. If that was the case, she could have been anywhere in the sprawling facility β hiding among pallets or tucked away in rows of trucks.
"Maybe they opened the trailer up and she got out. We would never find her," Shneider said.
Despite the odds, Shneider refused to give up. He reached out to warehouse managers Preston Bullock and Taylor Taconet for help.
"As long as they had fight in them, we had fight in us to help support," Bullock said.
Taconet saw it as a mission.
"Our job is to solve problems. And that's exactly what we took it as β we've got a missing family member out here, so we're gonna jump on top of it," Taconet said.
The team pulled out all the stops. They tried luring Francine with Fancy Feast cat food, brought in a thermal drone to fly over the facility, and even deployed a high-end 360-degree camera. For weeks, their efforts came up empty.
Then they captured a grainy but unmistakable image: Francine.
Once they knew her location, the rescue team sprang into action and successfully captured the missing cat.
"I could have cried. I'll be honest," Taconet said.
WATCH: Community comes together to celebrate Francine's return
Shneider was equally emotional.
"I was so overjoyed. Tears were just coming down my face that we had found her," Shneider said.
Sida and Shneider immediately loaded Francine into their car and drove to North Carolina the next morning. Back in Richmond, they rolled out the blue carpet for their star employee's triumphant return.
"It's good to see her back where she belongs," Sida said.
Today, Francine has returned to her old routine β prowling the store and posing for customers, proving that the heart of any workplace is truly the personnel.
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This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
