Current:Home > ContactA cat went missing in Wyoming. 2 months later, he was found in his home state, California. -GrowthInsight
A cat went missing in Wyoming. 2 months later, he was found in his home state, California.
View
Date:2025-04-13 23:15:44
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! (68)
Related
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Gisele Bündchen’s Mother Vania Nonnenmacher Dead at 75 After Cancer Battle
- Chiefs' path back to Super Bowl stage looked much different than past runs
- X pauses Taylor Swift searches as deepfake explicit images spread
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- 'A stand-out guy': Maine town manager dies after saving his son from icy pond
- Pauly Shore sued by man for alleged battery and assault at The Comedy Store club
- Central Park 5 exoneree and council member says police stopped him without giving a reason
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- X pauses Taylor Swift searches as deepfake explicit images spread
Ranking
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Arizona Republicans choose Trump favorite Gina Swoboda as party chair
- How shoot lasers into the sky could help deflect lightning
- Central Park 5 exoneree and council member says police stopped him without giving a reason
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- Teen awaiting trial in 2020 homicide who fled outside hospital is captured in Philadelphia
- Taylor Swift and Jason Kelce Support Travis Kelce at AFC Championship
- Fans of This Hydrating Face Mask Include Me, Sydney Sweeney, and the Shoppers Who Buy 1 Every 12 Seconds
Recommendation
Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
Watch: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce share celebratory kiss after Chiefs win AFC championship
Dakota Johnson's 'SNL' opening monologue crashed by Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon
Who is No Doubt? Gwen Stefani had to explain band to son ahead of Coachella reunion
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Americans don't sleep enough. The long-term effects are dire, especially for Black people
Trial set to begin for 2 accused of killing Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay over 20 years ago
See the moment climate activists throw soup at the ‘Mona Lisa’ in Paris