Cat Missing in Yellowstone Travels 800 Miles to Reunite with Owners After Two Months

For two months, a couple from California felt heartbroken, worrying about their beloved cat's fate after he went missing in Yellowstone National Park, a vast wilderness larger than some U.S. states.

However, as summer drew to a close, their sorrowful chapter took a turn for the better. Last month, Benny and Susanne Anguiano joyfully reunited with their lost feline, Rayne Beau, after an animal welfare group informed them that their cat had been found in Roseville, California, approximately 800 miles (1,287 km) from Yellowstone.

The couple had been camping in the national park when Rayne Beau was startled by something in the wilderness and dashed into the trees, disappearing for 60 long days. During that time, they searched daily, laying out treats and toys in hopes he would return, but to no avail.

“The hardest day was when we had to leave without him. I felt like I was abandoning him,” Susanne Anguiano shared with KSBW.

In early August, Rayne Beau’s microchip proved invaluable. The couple received a notification from Pet Watch, a pet-tracking service, informing them that their cat had been found at the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals branch in Roseville. A kind woman had found Rayne Beau alone in the street and brought him to the shelter.

“He was really depleted,” Susanne noted. “He probably didn’t have much energy left to go any farther.”

Susanne initially shared their emotional journey on Facebook, revealing that she hadn’t told it sooner because “it was too traumatic.”

The details of how Rayne Beau traveled the 800 miles from Yellowstone to Roseville remain unclear, but the couple hopes their story might encourage anyone with information to come forward. In their KSBW interview, they also urged other pet owners to use trackers to prevent the loss of their furry companions.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, approximately 10 million dogs and cats are lost or stolen in the U.S. every year. Sadly, only one in fifty shelter cats is reunited with their owners, but nearly two out of five are returned home when they have a microchip.