A Dutchess County woman has been reunited with her cat that went missing. The kicker? The cat was missing for 11 years.

"We really thought after some time had passed that either something had happened to him or somebody else had adopted him," said Maggie Welz. "It's still such a shock to us."

Welz got the call this week that Tiger was finally found by Carol O'Connell, who works at the Dutchess County SPCA. She found Tiger in 2016 and tried to befriend the stray for years. Then she realized, "he's neutered, and he's got to have a chip," she said.

Microchips are implanted under an animal's skin to help track them in cases like these. The chip led Carol to Welz.

"That's the only reason we are here today, because of the microchip," Welz said. "Because the determination of Carol to keep an eye on this cat for three years."

Welz says she encourages others to get microchips for their pets.