When Denise Cilley’s cat disappeared from her Maine home in 2015, she didn’t think the pet would survive the wild.
But in January, the estranged tabby named Ashes was found in Florida of all places.
Although it’s not clear how the animal made the 1,400-mile journey up the east coast, luckily the gray cat was returned to its owner.
Cilley, who adopted the cat from a shelter in 2014, received a call explaining that a microchipped cat had turned up in Florida.
She told local news outlet WGME-TV that she was initially confused when she received the call: “I was like, ‘Well, how old is this cat?’ ‘Quite old.’ I say, ‘I’ve been missing a cat for six and a half years’.”
“Then my daughter heard me on the phone and said, ‘Is it Ashes, is she alive?’ and yes, that is her.”
According to Patch.com, Ashes reportedly had some health issues, including an upper respiratory infection, dental disease, missing teeth and a scabbed coat.
However, the long-lost pet was able to travel back to Maine because Cilley reached out to an animal advocate named Janet Williams, whom she met through a mutual friend.
Williams, who fostered the pet, told the publication, “However, she recovered quickly. She has a good coat, a good body weight and a good disposition.
“She’s incredibly cute. She wants to be brushed, which is unusual for cats, but she loves to be combed.”
More than $1,800 was raised to reunite the cat with its owner and pay for medical expenses, and the tabby was able to fly home after Williams found a generous Southwest employee who would adopt the pet at a vacancy day.
Cilley told Patch.com that Ashes remarkably still makes the same squeaky sound she used to make as a kid, revealing, “She has a squeaky little meow and always has, although at the time I thought it was because of that.” that she was a kitten.”
However, what still remains a mystery is how the animal made the long journey from Maine to Florida.
Cilley says: “We have no idea. Maybe someone found her in Maine, thought she was a stray, took her in and moved to Florida, and she got out and couldn’t find their way home.”
“I wish she could talk,” she added.
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