Current:Home > ScamsA cat went missing in Wyoming. 2 months later, he was found in his home state, California. -Capitatum
A cat went missing in Wyoming. 2 months later, he was found in his home state, California.
View
Date:2025-04-15 17:24:51
This story was updated to add a photo.
The love between a pet and its owner knows no bounds nor state lines.
After going missing in Yellowstone National Park, a two-year-old cat traveled more than 800 miles toward its California home.
Siamese cat Rayne Beau, pronounced "rainbow," ran off into the trees during a trip to the Wyoming park in June, according his owners Benny and Susanne Anguiano. The couple, based out of Salinas in Monterey County, thought they had seen the last of their beloved pet.
However, two months later, they received a voicemail from an animal shelter in Roseville, about a 30 minutes northeast of Sacramento, informing them that Rayne Beau was ready for pick up.
The pair's five day trip at Yellowstone took a downturn after several days spent scouring the park, with Benny roaming the forest wearing bear repellant. Their relentless search ended June 8 when their park reservation ended, and the couple returned home devastated. Benny told Susanne they could not stay at the park forever, and park rangers said they would inform them if Rayne Beau was spotted.
"I understood that, but I just made him stay until the very last minute, that's for sure. And even as we were driving out, I had my window down. I'm still calling him and we're still scanning the road. It was pretty traumatic," Susanne told USA TODAY Thursday.
Rayne Beau's twin cat, Starr Jasmine, called out for her brother from a carrier. Susanne said she knew her twin was gone. The ride home was sorrowful for her as the cat grappled with being apart from her twin for the first time ever.
Couple initially skeptical of shelter's phone call
The Anguianos held onto hope despite mounting despair. Park officials said some pets are found months later, Benny said. As they crossed the state line into Idaho, the couple saw a double rainbow, assuring Susanne that Rayne Beau "is being taken care of."
Yet, the pair found themselves in complete disbelief when a voicemail Aug. 3 from the Placer SPCA shelter in Roseville said that their cat had been found. Skeptical of a potential scam, Susanne said it wasn't until her husband and daughter were also contacted that they began taking the message seriously.
"I said, 'take a picture. I want to make sure I don't drive three-and-a-half hours and it's not my cat,'" Benny said. "So they did. About 20 minutes later, they sent a picture and yep, it was him."
The two reserved their emotions until they could see the cat, afraid of false hope. But the moment they laid eyes on Rayne Beau, they knew they had been reunited.
"When we for sure knew, we were in tears. We were all hugging and crying," Susanne said.
Rayne Beau and Starr Jasmine are back to sleeping, playing and jumping together after a brutal period apart. The couple now has three cats, including new addition Maxx, who they adopted as a companion for Starr while she was alone.
Cat lost nearly half his bodyweight while missing
While it's unclear how Rayne Beau made his way from Wyoming to California, his appearance shows the journey did not come without struggles. Susanne said his paws were calloused, dry and cracked.
Rayne Beau weighed between 7 and 8 pounds, down from his initial 13 pound weight, according to Susanne. Veterinarians said bloodwork showed low protein levels from inadequate nutrition, leading the family to believe no one cared for him during those 60 days.
"Poor thing looked like he was six months old, nine months old. He was really little, all skin and bones. He had lost half his body weight," Benny said. "He was in starvation mode. So now he's worked himself out of that."
Susanne said both Rayne Beau and Starr were microchipped as required by the local rescue shelter from where they had adopted the cats. However, she said she was grateful Starr wasn't the one who ran off, as her microchip had shortly fallen out when she was spayed as a kitten, according to a local shelter that performed procedure.
She urges all dog and cat owners to not only microchip their pets, but register their owners name and contact information because life can be unpredictable.
"If you love your pet you will," Susanne said. "You will do that if you ever want to see them again, because anything can happen. As careful as you can be, animals are animals and something can happen like with us, and they get away."
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Michigan lawmaker who was arrested in June loses reelection bid in Republican primary
- Israeli military says warplanes are bombing Hamas tunnels in Gaza, signaling new stage in offensive
- Abercrombie & Fitch slapped with lawsuit alleging sexual abuse of its male models under former CEO
- Russia hikes interest rate for 4th time this year as inflation persists
- Mega Millions winning numbers for August 6 drawing: Jackpot climbs to $398 million
- Bangladesh’s main opposition party plans mass rally as tensions run high ahead of general election
- Biden calls for GOP help on gun violence, praises police for work in Maine shooting spree
- Search for Maine shooting suspect leveraged old-fashioned footwork and new technology
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Senate energy panel leaders from both parties press for Gulf oil lease sale to go on, despite ruling
Ranking
- Tony Hawk drops in on Paris skateboarding and pushes for more styles of sport in LA 2028
- 'Modern-day-mafia': 14 charged in Florida retail theft ring that stole $20 million in goods
- US expands its effort to cut off funding for Hamas
- Horoscopes Today, October 27, 2023
- Audit: California risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections
- Catalytic converter theft claims fell in first half of year, first time in 3 years, State Farm says
- Israel resists U.N.'s calls for ceasefire as Hamas says Gaza death toll is soaring
- A popular Kobe Bryant mural was ordered to be removed. Here's how the community saved it.
Recommendation
Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
The Biden administration is encouraging the conversion of empty office space to affordable housing
Antarctica is melting and we all need to adapt, a trio of climate analyses show
Taylor Swift becomes a billionaire with new re-recording of 1989 album
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
The strike has dimmed the spotlight on the fall’s best performances. Here’s 13 you shouldn’t miss
Britney Spears reveals in new memoir why she went along with conservatorship: One very good reason
West Virginia school system mandates religious training following revival assembly lawsuit