Missing Colorado cat found in Manhattan after 5 years

Willow

New York Times story here.

A calico cat named Willow, who disappeared from a home near the Rocky Mountains five years ago, was found on Wednesday on a Manhattan street and will soon be returned to her family, where two of the three children and one of the two dogs may remember her. . . .

[T]hanks to a microchip that was implanted when she was a kitten, Willow will be reunited in Boulder, Colo., with her owners, the Squireses, who had long ago given up hope.

“There are tons of coyotes around here, and owls,” Jamie Squires said. “We put out the ‘lost cat’ posters and the Craigslist thing, but we actually thought she’d been eaten by coyotes.” . . .

Ms. Squires said Willow escaped in late 2006 or early 2007 when contractors left a door open during a home renovation.

Ms. Bank said Willow was healthy and well-mannered, and probably had not spent her life on the streets of Manhattan.

Animal Care and the Squireses were trying to arrange for transportation back to Colorado. In the interim, Willow may stay with a foster family in New York.

“The kids can’t wait to see her,” Ms. Squires said. “And we still have her little Christmas stocking.”

The perfect camouflage for NYC, it turns out

(Lucas has a microchip also.)

[The second photo is most likely a Photoshop job. The top photo, however, is from a reliable source. I first saw the story late last week on the NBC Nightly News.]