A cat from California was reunited with its family after three months and a journey of over 1,300 km to return home.
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Rayne Beau is a two-year-old feline who disappeared in June after fleeing into the woods during a family trip to Yellowstone National Park, in the United States. The cat’s owners, Benny and Susanne Anguiano, spent nearly the entire trip searching for their lost pet.
According to a report from USA Today, Benny drenched himself in bear spray and wandered through the woods calling for the cat, and the couple even used the meows of Rayne Beau’s twin sister, Starr Jasmine, to try to lure the feline out of the forest.
Unfortunately, none of their efforts succeeded, and after days of searching, they were heartbroken when they had to leave the park without their beloved cat. The park rangers assured them that if they saw the cat, they would call, but they feared they would never see their pet again.
To make matters worse, the couple’s other cat was struggling to cope with the loss of her brother. But three months later, the family received a call from a shelter informing them that they had found Rayne Beau.
The couple was initially skeptical, thinking it might be a scam or an identification error, and avoided getting their hopes up. “I said: ‘Take a picture’. I want to make sure I’m not driving three and a half hours for it not to be my cat,” Benny told USA Today.
“So they took the picture. About 20 minutes later, they sent a photo and yes, it was him,” he said. Even after seeing the photo, however, the family was still skeptical. They couldn’t bear the thought of losing the cat a second time, so they managed their expectations and prepared for the worst.
Upon arriving at the Placer SPCA animal shelter in Roseville, California, all those feelings disappeared, as when they saw the cat, they knew it was Rayne Beau. “When we knew for sure, we were crying. We were all hugging and crying,” said Susanne.
Rayne Beau was microchipped, which helped the shelter locate his owners, according to Susanne. The cat survived the long journey from Yellowstone to Roseville, approximately 1,334 km, but it was not a trouble-free journey.
The kitten had lost nearly half of his body weight, his paws were dry and cracked, and he was malnourished. Susanne said that the weight loss and lack of nutrition suggested that he was not cared for during his time outside and that he had spent most of his journey in the woods.
After some time recovering, Rayne Beau is now at a healthy weight and has resumed sleeping and playing with his sister and his new housemate Maxx, whom the family adopted to keep Starr Jasmine company in her brother’s absence.
Photo and video: Facebook. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
