Imagine that your cat went missing.  Some know the experience and it’s painful.  Within a few weeks, you would probably assume the animal fell victim to traffic, a coyote or raptor.  Nine years have passed and your telephone rings.  It’s an animal shelter 1,000 miles away.  Your cat has been located.  Microchip provided your name and telephone number.

This happened two weeks ago when a California woman picked up her telephone and was greeted by a voice saying she was calling from Hayden.  Not Hayden, California.  Hayden, Kootenai County, Idaho.  It’s a true story and was a shocker.  The cat had been found wandering and was turned into a shelter.  She was well-fed and in good health.  It’s assumed the animal was probably found in California and someone thought it was a stray.  The person probably took the animal home and eventually relocated to Idaho.

The original owner had adopted the cat from a shelter.  The pair spent three years together.  The woman does have a brother in Lewiston and had considered having him fly the cat home. Then she had a change of heart.  She wasn’t sure the cat would recognize her, and the animal had become attached to a volunteer at the shelter.  A decision was made to leave the cat in Kootenai County.