We hear of satellites falling back to Earth, and boomerangs making their way back to us, but when a pet goes missing, we grieve for them because they seem to be lost to us forever. What are the odds that your dog or cat would ever walk back into your life after several months, or even years? Well, it turns out that it’s not quite as impossible as you thought, just very, very rare. But Pilot is no ordinary cat. He had gone missing ten years ago, and his family had given up hope. Then it walked back into their lives in the most ironic of circumstances, and said “Meow!”Pilot was the ultimate best friend. It followed its human family around wherever they would go. It also loved playing in the water, according to Jennifer, which is pretty rare for a cat to do. It also loved her kids like crazy.
Jennifer told GoFundMe that Pilot was “microchipped and was wearing a collage with a tag.” But that didn’t stop the kitty cat from seemingly walking off the face of the Earth, leaving Jennifer and the family traumatically devastated.
The only hope that they clung to was that Pilot would someday come back to them on his own. But as time passed, the possibility of that ever happening diminished. Then, years later, something amazing happened.
A veterinary hospital in California reached out to Jennifer regarding a lost kitty who had a microchip in his body. The chip contained Jennifer’s information, which made it easier to find Pilot’s original owner.
Unfortunately, he was badly burned during the Tubbs fire that swept across Santa Rosa, California. It turns out that someone had found him just in time, and brought him to the Petcare Veterinary Hospital for treatment.
Jennifer and her family were living in Colorado. But as soon as the Petcare Vet called, she hopped on a plane back to California and was happily reunited with Pilot. But it was obvious that the cat had gone through a lot.
He was thirsty and hungry, but there wasn’t a lot of food or water available in the area because of the out of control fire. But somehow, he persevered despite all of the bumps, bruises, and burns that he’d gotten.
Of course, when Jennifer came along, Pilot was happy to see her too. Despite being on the mend with its legs and paws in a bunch of casts, Pilot was ready to be loved and reunited with his former, soon to be new again owner.
Despite the fact that it had been ten years, Pilot reacted as though he remembered Jennifer, and it overwhelmed her with feelings of joy, not to mention tears. Clearly, Pilot had not given up hope on reuniting with his family.
Getting his bandages changed was easy, but the vet costs really added up, which is why she relied on donations from kind strangers to help pay the costs. Over a matter of days, Jennifer realized that Pilot hadn’t changed one bit. He loved being part of the family, and he was still a serial snuggler.
Naturally, Jennifer’s daughter was overwhelmed with joy. Jennifer’s daughter was 8 when Pilot vanished. But as soon as Pilot saw grown-up Jennifer he started chirping. He also noticed there were a few surprises, like some new feline siblings to snuggle with.
Not only did he gain 11 pounds, but his whiskers are growing back. Sure, he lost five toes, but the two surgeries he endured helped him get his paws back. Now his bandages are off. His burnt ears are almost healed, and he’s slowly but surely reintegrating back into his old life.
