Story of San Diego Cat Reuniting With Owners After 12 Years Missing Is a Miracle
Cats, who are natural hunters and adventurers, love to go outside and explore. And while they usually find their way back home, sometimes they don't, and it could take over a decade for them to be reunited with their parents.
As the news channel ABC7 reported on October 15, a lucky cat named Butters had been found and just returned to his owners after 12 years of being missing in this heartwarming rescue story.
This extraordinary story of Butters' 12-year absence and miraculous return home highlights the importance of microchipping your beloved pet.
Butters' disappearance goes back 12 years, as he went out on his nightly stroll, just like tabby cats love to do, but this time he never returned.
His owners, Angelo and Shelley Castellino, who used to live in San Diego, California, at that time, thought he was dead.
"Butters was a very adventurous cat, and he liked to go outside a lot, and he had learned how to use the dog door," said Angelo. "And one day, he never returned.
"We went looking for him, and our assumption was that the coyotes got him because there's a canyon nearby, and we didn't much think about it after that except that we were sad he was gone," Angelo continued.
The Castellino family eventually moved to Seattle, Washington, with Butters' brother Barnacles, as they were convinced they'd never see Butters again until they received a phone call from Riverside County Animal Services Officer Dalton Churchwell on October 1, which coincidentally happened to be their 29th wedding anniversary.
"At first, we didn't pick it up because we thought it was one of these scam calls, but when they called back again, my wife picked up," said Angelo. "He told her they had Butters."
"I thought it was a prank call because the cat was gone for 12 years, but how did he know our cat's name?"
The lucky incident took place in Churchwell's backyard, located in the desert community of Blythe, where he found Butters wandering around.
Once found, Churchwell checked Butters if he was microchipped, and this is how he was able to locate the Castellino family and reunite Butters with his parents, who flew back to San Diego to pick him up.
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