Missing Cat Found 5 Years Later: Remarkable Story

When my late father was a little boy, he was owned by a kitty named Spinach. My grandmother was not enamored of the cat, so one day when my dad wasn't home, she made arrangements for Spinach to disappear somewhere in Central Park, several miles from where they lived in New York City. Not a very compassionate or humane thing to do!

Five days later, Spinach was simply crazy about the green leafy vegetable, much in the same way as Popeye. It may even have helped him find his way home. I suspect Spinach’s skill at navigating the streets of Manhattan convinced my grandmother to let my dad keep him. The tabby-cat lived happily for many more years strictly as an indoor cat. I thought the story to be rather amazing, until yesterday when I learned about another even more fantastic feline homecoming.

According to the blog on Petside and an article on an NBC local affiliate, five years ago, a calico cat named Willow disappeared from the home she shared with the Squires family near the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Discovered on East 20th street in Manhattan a couple of days ago, Willow had already traveled over 1,600 miles. Too bad she can't speak "human", because I bet my bottom dollar her escapades while journeying across the country would make for a fabulous television series aired on Animal Planet. Thankfully the Squires had Willow micro-chipped when she was a little kitten! And fortunately the thoughtful man who brought Willow to a shelter didn’t decide to keep the beautiful tri-color kitty.

I can only imagine the expression on Jamie’s and her husband Chris’s face when they received that phone call from Animal Care & Control, which runs New York’s rescue and shelter system. The Squires, after advertising their lost kitty with no results, assumed she had been eaten by a coyote.

At first they hesitated to share the good news with their children but when they saw her picture and knew immediately that it was their long lost feline, the cat was out of the bag, so to speak.  Julie Banks, the ACC Executive Director said a scanner located the implanted microchip which led them to the Squires family.

The family also has two dogs, a Golden Retriever named Roscoe and a Bull Mastiff named Zoe who knew Willow. They had a third dog back then and they would all hang out together at meal time waiting to be fed. Chris said that Willow thought she was a dog.

Willow escaped from the house during renovation in late 2006 or early 2007 when contractors left the door open. Since then the family has moved 10 miles from Broomfield to Boulder, but the microchip company kept their location up to date.

It may take up to two weeks before Willow and her very excited human family can be reunited. The Squires and the AAC are working on Willow’s transportation back to Colorado along with the necessary health certificates. In the meantime, Willow may be cared for by a foster family.

Squires said, "The kids can't wait to see her, and we still have her little Christmas stocking.

I love stories like this that have such a happy ending, don’t you?  Tell us in a comment.