GAINESVILLE

It's an interactive lost and found for your furry friends.  Gainesville Pet Finder reunited hundreds of pets each year with their owners.  The grass roots effort even rescued one cat from it's own curiosity.

It was a joyous reunion in Gainesville that might never have happened if not for Facebook.  You see little Andre is curious, as a kitten should be.

Owner Katie Cousins said, "We didn't realize that one of the latches on the screen was unhooked."  And soon Andre's adventurous spirit took him out the window and too far from home.  Cousins looked everywhere and made fliers, but with no result.  Until Jennifer Kramel got involved.

Gainesville Pet Finder Co-Admin Jennifer Kramel said, "So I stopped and I took a picture of the flier and I posted it on Gainesville Pet Finder."

GPF is an interactive Facebook where you can post a picture of an animal you've lost or that you've found.  The whole point is making connections.

Kramel said, "We're a community... it's not just a place to post a picture.  There are people who check the page daily.  We have people who will stop and take pictures of fliers."

And hundreds of times within the last three years that group effort has brought pets home.  There are over 3 thousand likes on the page, with ordinary people, community organizations, veterinarians and groomers all sharing information.  

Operation Catnip Executive Director Shaye Olmstead said, "We rely on those relationships to make these kinds of connections."

When Andre was found begging for food at a CVS Drugstore a volunteer brought him to Operation Catnip, who then posted his picture to the Facebook page.  Kramel called Cousins right away.

She said, "These are the moments that make it all worth it."

And now Andre is going home.  Cousins said, "It absolutely worked... I can't believe it."

Micro chipping is the number one way lost pets are recovered.  For more information on Gainesville Pet Finder visit http://www.facebook.com/gainesvillepetfinder

For information on Operation Catnip visit http://www.facebook.com/operationcatnip