Cats have nine lives – and apparently they can travel 900 miles.
Benny and Susanne Anguiano, a couple from Salinas, California, found their missing cat after it mysteriously traveled such a long distance.
During a trip to Yellowstone National Park in early June, the couple’s beloved pet cat, Rayne Beau, became frightened and ran into the dense trees.
They spent the rest of their journey frantically searching the forest for him, sometimes getting lost themselves, leaving out his favorite treats and toys in the hope of luring him back to their campsite.
Benny Anguiano told NBC News that a Yellowstone employee stopped by their campsite to warn them that a pack of coyotes had attacked a small dog in the area – and that the couple would be lucky if their cat made it through the night. When the trip was over, Rayne Beau was still missing, Benny Anguiano said.
“We had to leave without him,” Susanne Anguiano said in an interview with NBC affiliate station KSBW in Salinas. “That was the hardest day because I felt like I was letting him down.”
But as they left Yellowstone, she discovered a special symbol.
“We were driving along and out of nowhere these double rainbows appeared and it all came together for me,” she told KSBW.
She said she saw her cat’s namesake in the sky as a sign to keep hoping for Rayne Beau’s return. Sixty days later, her wish came true in the rainbow: her furry friend had been found.
The Anguianos received a message from PetWatch, a pet microchip registration service, listing Rayne Beau’s microchip information and location. He was at a shelter in Roseville, California, over 800 miles from Yellowstone, where he was lost.
The couple said a local woman found him alone on the street, realized he was someone’s pet and turned him in. However, they still don’t know how their brave cat got that far or how he knew the right way home.
The journey took its toll on Rayne Beau. Before his loss, he weighed about 14 pounds. When he was found, he weighed only 8 pounds.
“He was really exhausted,” Susanne Anguiano told KSBW. “He probably didn’t have enough strength to even continue.”
Rayne Beau, who was safely reunited with his family on August 4, now spends his days playing with his twin sister, regaining his strength and taking well-deserved naps. But the Anguianos are still curious about how he fought his way home.
Benny Anguiano said he hopes someone hears her story and recognizes her fearless cat.
“‘Hey, I remember the cat, and so, we saw it here, we saw it there,’ or they even took it,” he told KSBW.
As the couple works to solve the mystery, they hope to encourage other pet owners to take action to protect their pets.
“Make sure you have your cat or pet microchipped and register the microchip online,” Susanne Anguiano told KSBW. “Otherwise we would never have gotten them back.”
Rayne Beau is doing well and adjusting to life at home again, but if you thought camping wasn’t in the cards for this family any time soon, you’re wrong.
“We now have a global tracker,” Benny Anguiano told NBC News.
