Missing cat travels 800 miles from Yellowstone to home in California

This story has been updated to add a photo.

The love between a pet and its owner knows no boundaries and no national borders.

After disappearing in Yellowstone National Park, a two-year-old cat traveled more than 800 miles toward her native California.

Rayne Beau, pronounced “Rainbow,” a Siamese cat, ran into the trees during a trip to Wyoming Park in June, according to his owners Benny and Susanne Anguiano. The couple from Salinas, Monterey County, thought they had seen their beloved pet for the last time.

Two months later, however, they received a voicemail from an animal shelter in Roseville, about 30 minutes northeast of Sacramento, telling them that Rayne Beau was ready for pickup.

The couple’s five-day trip to Yellowstone National Park took a turn after Benny spent several days searching the park, roaming the forest armed with bear repellent. Their tireless search ended on June 8, when their park reservation ended and the couple returned home devastated. Benny told Susanne they couldn’t stay in the park forever, and park rangers said they would let them know if Rayne Beau was spotted.

“I understood that, but I made him stay until the very last minute, that’s for sure. And even when we left, I had the window rolled down. I was still calling him and we were still looking at the road. It was pretty traumatic,” Susanne told USA TODAY on 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 sad for her as it was the first time the cat had ever struggled with being separated from her twin.

Couple is initially skeptical about the call from the animal shelter

Despite increasing despair, the Anguianos held on to hope. Park officials said some pets weren’t found until months later, Benny said. As they crossed the state line into Idaho, the couple saw a double rainbow and assured Susanne that “Rayne Beau was being taken care of.”

Still, the couple couldn’t believe it when they received a voicemail from the Placer SPCA shelter in Roseville on August 3 saying their cat had been found. Susanne was skeptical that it was a possible scam and said they didn’t take the message seriously until her husband and daughter were also contacted.

“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 photo and yes, it was him.”

Fearing false hope, the two held back their feelings until they saw the cat. But when they saw Rayne Beau, they knew they were reunited.

“When we knew for sure, we were in tears. We all hugged each other and cried,” said Susanne.

Rayne Beau and Starr Jasmine are sleeping, playing and jumping together again after a brutal period of separation. The couple now have three cats, including new addition Maxx, who they adopted as a companion for Starr while she was alone.

Cat lost almost half his body weight during his absence

While it’s unclear how Rayne Beau got from Wyoming to California, his appearance suggests the journey wasn’t without its difficulties. Susanne said his paws were calloused, dry and cracked.

Rayne Beau weighed between 7 and 8 pounds, according to Susanne, which was less than his original weight of 13 pounds. Veterinarians said blood tests showed low protein levels due to inadequate nutrition, leading the family to believe no one had taken care of him during those 60 days.

“The poor thing looked like it was six or nine months old. He was really small, just skin and bones. He had lost half his body weight,” Benny said. “He was in starvation mode. Now he’s recovered from that.”

Susanne said both Rayne Beau and Starr were microchipped, as required by the local shelter from which they adopted the cats. However, she said she was thankful Starr did not run away, as her microchip fell out shortly after she was spayed as a kitten, according to a local shelter that performed the procedure.

She urges all dog and cat owners not only to microchip their animals, but also to register the name and contact details of their owners, as life can be unpredictable.

“If you love your pet, you will,” Susanne said. “That’s what you will do if you ever want to see them again, because something can always happen. No matter how careful you are, animals are animals and something can happen, like it did to us, and they escape.”

Couple is initially skeptical about the call from the animal shelter

Cat lost almost half his body weight during his absence

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