Mystery as cat reunited with owners after 900-mile trek across the US, two months after going missing on camping trip

21 September 2024, 11:56

A missing cat has been reunited with his owners after a 900-mile journey across the US, two months after being separated from them.

Rayne Beau - pronounced 'rainbow' - arrived back in California after going missing in Wyoming during a camping trip with his owners Benny and Susanne Anguiano

It is unclear how he made it home - but Ms Anguiano said she thought he went "mostly on his own" because he lost 40% of his body weight and his paws were "really beat up".

The story unfolded after Anguianos and their two cats arrived at Yellowstone's Fishing Bridge RV Park on June 4 for the cats' first trip to the forest. Soon after they arrived Rayne Beau was startled and ran into nearby trees. The couple looked for him for four days, laying out his favourite treats and toys.

When they finally had to drive back to Salinas, California, on June 8, Mrs Anguiano said she was crushed but never lost hope she would find him.

"We were entering the Nevada desert and all of a sudden I see a double rainbow. And I took a picture of it and I thought, that's a sign. That's a sign for our rainbow that he's going to be OK," she said.

In August, the Anguianos received amazing news when a microchip company messaged them that their cat was at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Roseville, California, nearly 900 miles from Yellowstone.

He was only about 200 miles away from his home in Salinas.

A woman who first saw Rayne Beau wandering the streets of the northern California city fed him and gave him water until she trapped him on August 3 and took him to the local SPCA.

The next day, the Anguianos drove to Roseville and picked up their cat, who had lost six pounds in weight.

"I believe truly that he made that trek mostly on his own. His paws were really beat up. Lost 40% of his body weight, had really low protein levels because of inadequate nutrition. So he was not cared for," Mrs Anguiano said.

The couple still do not know how their cat got to Roseville but believe he was trying to get home. They have reached out to the media hoping to fill in the blanks.

Mr Anguiano said that besides microchipping their cats, they have also fitted two of them with air tags and Rayne Beau with a GPS global tracker.

The cats love travelling in the camper van and looking out of the big windows to see deer, squirrels and other animals but they are not ready to get on the road with their pets again any time soon, he said.

"It was a very ugly feeling after we lost him," Mr Anguiano said. "We'll have to practise camping at home and camp in the driveway to get him used to it."