Okay, all you naysayers who decry Facebook as a productivity-sucking waste of time, think again.

Bob the Cat, missing for two years, was recently reunited with his family thanks to…. Facebook

Bob held a special place in the hearts of Shane and Nicole Meide. He joined their family just after they returned from their honeymoon. “We love everything about his personality. We love the size, we love big, fat cats,” said Nicole.

When he escaped from their East Bethel, Minnesota home a few months later, they were heartbroken. After an intensive search, the couple gave up hope of ever seeing their beloved Bob again. The 20-pound main coon was never found and they eventually moved away fromEast Bethel. “We were sad. We missed him so much,” said Nicole.

Then, two years after he disappeared, someone found Bob and brought him into the Coon Rapids Humane Society.

The big cat was scanned for a microchip. The good news is, Bob had one. The bad news is, the information was out of date. Amber Wallin with the Coon Rapids Animal Humane Society was undeterred. She searched telephone directories with no luck.

Because the Meides cared enough to report Bob missing, and because he was in such good shape and so affectionate, Wallin knew she had to do everything she could to reunite them.

“So I took a leap and checked Facebook,” said Wallin.

Amazingly, Shane and Nicole had set up Facebook pages just days earlier. “All of a sudden, out of the blue, we get an e-mail saying, ‘Hey, we found your cat,’” said Shane. The reunion soon followed.

“It brought tears of joy, it really did,” said Nicole. “My stomach just jumped because I thought it was fabulous.”

The Meides are overwhelmed with gratitude to Wallin. “She did go above and beyond,” said Shane.

Way to go, Amber Wallin!!!

Is your pet’s microchip info up to date? Even if you lost a pet years ago, there’s a chance she can be recovered and returned to you if the microchip info is accurate. A quick phone call to the microchip company or a visit to their website is all it takes.

• Watch a video report of Bob’s miraculous return.

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Cat killer Robert Utech (in photos, right), former police chief of West Concord, Minnesota, was was found guilty of two felony counts involving torture or cruelty to animals, one felony count involving the wreckless discharge of a dangerous weapon, and one gross misdemeanor count of misconduct by a public official.

The charges involved his shooting four cats belonging to West Concord resident George Layman. Utech also admitted to killing about 20 supposedly wild cats inside the city limits using a .22 caliber rifle and dumping the remains in the grain elevator that’s just a block away from the police station.

A former West Concord police officer testified that Utech once chased a cat down Main Street and shot at it. Part-time officers hired by Utech told investigators that Utech told them he killed the cats because, “I hate them. I shoot them all the time.”

Utech also was accused of using a stun gun on an innocent bystander; botching an alleged juvenile sexual assault investigation; and telling a West Concord police officer not to charge anyone who lives in the city with driving under the influence.

Dodge County Sheriff Gary Thompson said Thursday after the trial that Utech won’t ever work in law enforcement again.

• 118 Hoarded Cats Euthanized in Controversial Action by SPCA
• Duct-Taped Cat Has a New Furever Home
• Arrest in Duct-Taped Cat Case
• Reward up to $2000 for Info in Duct-Taped Cat Case
• Cat Bong Guy Gets Slap-on-the-Wrist Sentence

Last week, our Catster friend Snickers (right) alerted us to the story of cats rescued from a gruesome cat hoarding situation in St Anthony, Minnesota.

The cats were found living with Stanley and Cheryl Saladis in a 500 sq ft mobile home, and the stench was so bad that the fire department was called in to evaluate the ammonia levels and ventilate the home before rescuers could enter the trailer. The floorboards had rotted from standing urine.

The story got worse this week, when it was reported that all 118 cats that were rescued were euthanized by the Animal Humane Society of Golden Valley. Humane Society spokeswoman Deb Balzer said that the cats had a host of diseases including FIV, herpes, upper respiratory infections and ringworm.

However, Animal Ark, a no-kill Hastings shelter, claims that the deaths were “totally unnecessary” and alleges that the Humane Society ignored calls and emails from people offering to support and adopt the cats.

Mike Fry, the Executive Director of Animal Ark, said, “I personally believe [the Humane Society] not only wasted the lives of these kitties, they squandered the good will of the community that was willing to aid in their care.” Animal Ark describes itself as the state’s largest “no-kill animal welfare organization.”

Animal Ark’s website posted Fry’s lengthy reaction to the Humane Society’s decision to euthanize the cats, pointing out that nearly all of the ailments assigned to the cats posed no risk to humans, and the other illnesses were not a justification to go through with destroying the cats. Fry also questioned the accuracy of some of the diagnoses.

“Given that animals from more severe animal hoarding situations have been rescued where the animals were suffering from far more serious medical and behavior concerns than the felines taken from this home,” he said, “it seems clear [the Humane Society] had several options available to them that did not include killing these felines.” [Click here to read Animal Ark's unexpurgated response to the killings.]

Humane Society President Janelle Dixon responded, “There is no one who works here who likes euthanasia.” On Animal Wise Radio, Nathan Winograd stated that if Dixon ordered the killing of those cats that she should be fired.

As if the story couldn’t get worse, this is not the first time the Saladises have been involved in cat hoarding. As recently as 2002, 72 cats were removed from the couple and Stanley Saladis was charged with cruelty to animals. According to one report, Mr Saladis paid $3000 in fines and was prohibited from owning pets during his 2-year probation period. The couple WAS NOT CITED IN THE CURRENT CASE, but was referred to social services.

Watch a video report here:

In a reader? Click here.

Thank you, Snickers, for passing this story along to us. If you have an idea for a Cat’s Meow post, please email it to me and we’ll toss a few zealies your way!

• Police Chief Found Guilty of Animal Cruelty Charges
• Duct-Taped Cat Has a New Furever Home
• Arrest in Duct-Taped Cat Case
• Reward up to $2000 for Info in Duct-Taped Cat Case
• Cat Bong Guy Gets Slap-on-the-Wrist Sentence