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BENTONVILLE, Ark.—When Rachel Elvins and her brother Zach were called to their mother’s classroom at Baker Elementary School on Monday morning, both thought they were in trouble.

The feeling got worse when they saw that those present included not only their mother, who teaches first grade at the school, but also their father. Mike and Debbie Elvins didn’t call their children to the room for a scolding, however. It was for a special family reunion.

Their cat, Nemo, had been found.

“It took me a second to know it was him,” Rachel said. “I was so happy.”

Zach agreed, and said he thinks it’s “cool” to have the family pet back home.

The big grins on their faces told the story.

Last September, the family was getting some painting work done. Nemo is an indoor-outdoor cat who likes to get into open vehicles, Debbie Elvins said. Her theory is that Nemo got in one of the painters’ trucks, then hopped out before being detected—but only after he had already been taken at least several miles from the family’s north Bentonville home.

The family called around looking for their cat, but he was nowhere to be found. He was microchipped, which means he has a tiny device implanted under his skin that, when scanned, can provide identifying information for both the cat and the owners. Debbie called the microchip company to tell them the cat had been lost.

Nearly eight months had gone by, and the family had accepted that Nemo wouldn’t be back, until Monday morning, when Mike Elvins got a call at work from the Bella Vista Animal Shelter. A cat had been brought in and had been identified as Nemo.

“Considering the time that had passed, I was very shocked that we could be getting our cat back,” he said. “I realized it was from the information they got from the chip. I’m very happy we’re getting him back for the kids.”