Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/cat-found-three-years-after-mudslide/

Three years ago, Patches the cat was lost during a deadly California mudslide that happened in California. The Montecito Debris Flow claimed the lives of 23 people the night of Jan. 9, 2018. Among the victims was Patches’ owner, Josie Gower. As the Associated Press reported, in the aftermath of the mudslide, Patches was nowhere to be found, leading Gower’s partner, Norm Borgatello, to assume that the feline had met the same fate as her owner.

However, unbeknownst to anyone, the little calico had survived.

Last month, she was brought into the Animal Shelter Assistance Program (ASAP) in Santa Barbara County as a stray cat. But her identity wasn’t unknown for long, as a microchip scan ended up telling the shelter exactly who she was. Patches’ microchip was still registered under Gower’s name, however, the shelter managed to track down Borgatello, and inform him of the good news.

Borgatello was amazed and “overwhelmed” as he picked her up on New Year’s Eve. The shelter shared the story of their beautiful reunion on their Facebook. The shelter also revealed that Patches was picked up less than a quarter-mile away from her original home in Montecito. While it remains a mystery as to what she’d been doing for the past three years, it was certain that she was more than happy to see Borgatello again.

The shelter wrote in their post, “We are so grateful that, with the support of our amazing community, not only are we able to save lives, but we are often able to help these special reunions happen.”

This resulting reunion has been yet another example used by the animal shelter to highlight the importance of microchipping your pets. They stated that a microchip is your pet’s best chance of being reunited with you should they ever become lost. We’re happy to hear that Patches’ microchip meant she was finally able to go home after three years.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog