A Florida family's missing cat turned up weeks later at a North Carolina shelter more than 900 miles from her home, and was reunited thanks to a microchip.

A cat named Xena was reunited with her family in Florida after being scanned for a microchip at a North Carolina animal shelter. Photo courtesy of Currituck Animal Shelter/Facebook UPI

Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A Florida family's missing cat turned up weeks later at a North Carolina shelter more than 900 miles from home.

The Currituck Animal Shelter in North Carolina said on social media that an officer responding to a report of an injured cat in Corolla was able to capture the feline and bring it back to the shelter on Aug. 27.

The cat, which was skinny and had an abscess on one foot, was scanned for a microchip, which identified her as Xena, a feline from Boynton Beach, Fla., which is more than 900 miles from Corolla.

Rachael Stone, director of animal services and control for the Currituck Animal Shelter, said Xena's owners told officials the cat had been missing since she wriggled out of a harness during their visit to Corolla during the Fourth of July weekend.

"They were very excited," Stone told McClatchy News. "They were in awe. They had kind of lost hope that they were going to find her."

The family made the drive up from Florida to bring Xena home.

"It just reinforces how important microchips are, keeping that information correct on the microchips," Stone said.