Cat came back — 13 years after going missing

Long-lost pet reunited with owners after being turned in at animal hospital

Video

Cat returns after 13 years astray
Nov. 12: A pet cat returns to its owners more than 13 years after going astray. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.

msnbc.com

Slideshow

Animal Tracks
Find an artistic sea lion, an overexcited puppy and more eye candy for animal lovers.

more photos

Pet health videos

Taking it off for animal rights
Jan. 5: Female activists take off their clothes and lock themselves in a cage to promote pet adoption. Willie Geist reports.

Caring for canines, troops

Easy riders: N.Y. bikers share soft spot for animals

Pet gifts for the holidays

Pet gift dos and don’ts

updated 9:45 p.m. ET Nov. 11, 2008

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - A couple recently had an unexpected reunion with an old housemate: their pet cat who went missing more than 13 years ago. George, who was last seen by Melinda Merman and Frank Walburg in 1995, was turned into an animal hospital after the manager of a mobile home park trapped the sickly feline.

A microchip implanted in George allowed him to be traced back to his owners.

Merman said after George went missing she visited animal shelters and wrote to veterinarians in search of the gray, yellow-eyed cat, who now weighs less than half what he used to.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

But Merman and Walburg said the cat is now eating well and displaying some of his old behavior, like jumping at flickering light on the wall the way he used to.

Click for related content

World’s ugliest dog dies after battle with cancer
Me-yow! This cat glows in the dark
Peru offers bald dog of Incas to Obamas
Dogs and cats with OCD? You betcha