Cat Missing in California Gets Reunited with Las Vegas Family
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Cats have been said to have nine lives, and every day, some of the risks they expose themselves to prove the expression to be true. A cat missing in California got reunited with his Las Vegas family after a mysterious disappearance. However, it took the intervention of a spay and neuter clinic and the kindness of a stranger to make the reunion possible. Let’s tell you all about Oreo’s journey back home and other felines who have walked too far from home but still made it back into the arms of their human parents.
A Reunion after Three Weeks
Oreo was probably taking a walk when he decided to stretch his legs a bit too far. How he ended up in Las Vegas from his Southern California home is still a mystery since it is over 250 miles away. Luckily, he did not end up in the streets; instead, he was caught in a humane trap set up by a local spay and neuter clinic, Heaven Can Wait Animal Society. According to Review-Journal, the non-profit clinic has set up humane traps all over Las Vegas to catch feral cats, treat them then release them. However, those with microchips are usually returned to their owners.
Fortunately for Oreo, his owners had inserted a microchip; therefore, when the Heaven Can Wait staff discovered it, they contacted Oreo’s humans. To their surprise, they found out Oreo’s owners lived in California hence could not come to pick their furbaby. The clinic does not open on weekends; therefore, they had to find someone willing to foster him until Oreo’s family could travel. Luckily for the cat, his rescuer was more than ready to open his home to host the feline. Oreo was not a guest too long because on March 21, 2021, at midnight, his humans were in Las Vegas, ready to take him home after three weeks of wondering where their furry friend was.
A 1,300 Miles Walk from Home
Oreo may have only been 250 miles away, and the reunion happened after three weeks, but some felines have wandered further away from home. Sasha traveled over 1,300 miles from her home, and a reunion with his owner occurred after five years. His owner Victor Usov told Mail Online that his relationship with his furry friend began when he adopted him from the Oregon Humane Society. He has never met such a friendly feline; Sasha would always greet his family members at the door, with excitement exhibited by a wagging tail. For his loyalty, Sasha looked forward to being rewarded with belly rubs. By the time he disappeared from his home in Portland, Oregon, Usov had said he was the size of a burrito, only to return later so big that his owner compared him to four burritos.
Usov had already given up finding Sasha because he had assumed that he had fallen prey to coyotes. However, five years later, he got a call from the Santa Fe Animal Shelter letting him know that his furry friend was still alive and was only 1,300 miles away. As the article explains, the organization had found Sasha walking along the streets of Santa Fe and took him to the shelter. There they scanned him for a microchip which revealed the owner’s details. Murad Kirdar, one of the shelter’s employees, was in shock. He explained that after working in animal shelters for over five years and recounting experiences with those who have worked in shelters for over a decade, they had never come across an animal that traveled 1200 miles. No wonder he was more than willing to organize a reunion of Sasha and Usov.
Luckily, it was not going to cost them much because Sasha’s story had gone viral, and American Airlines offered to fly him back home. Therefore, he was accompanied by Kirdar, and once they landed at Portland International Airport, Usov was there waiting for his long-lost furry friend. He was grateful that Sasha looked like he had been well taken care of, as evidenced by his huge size and the cat’s sight made his day. Kirdar added that although they may never know how the cat made his way to New Mexico from Portland, what matters is he was back where he belonged.
The Importance of Microchipping Your Pets
Sasha and Oreo would have joined the growing statistics of feral cats if their owners did not have the foresight to microchip them. On average, 70,000 puppies and kittens are born every day, and about 8 million end up in shelters. Unfortunately, most do not make it out because they have to be euthanized. Each year around 3 million pets are euthanized due to various reasons, and if your cat goes missing, it could also be a victim. American Animal Hospital advises that since your pet can’t talk, the only way to ensure he gets back home if lost is by microchipping. A microchip only costs around $45, and through it, your pet will always end up home no matter how far he wanders, and Sasha is proof.
Sometimes it takes the loss of a pet to remind owners about the importance of microchips, as with Leon’s case. According to Madison, Leon was discovered under the hood of a car and dropped off at a shelter. The staff found a microchip implanted between the cat’s shoulder blades, which enabled them to identify his owners. The news about Leon spread and that it was all it took to convince owners to get their pets microchipped. As a result, the shelter’s attempts to get pet owners to microchip their pets was such a success that owners brought in 32 cats and 66 dogs. However, a microchip is useless unless it stays updated with the owner’s contact information. As American Animal Hospital revealed, over 40% of microchipped pets do not have a happy ending because owners did not update the information.
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