Santa Rosa cat, missing 13 years, is back home:

More than 13 years after he went missing from his Santa Rosa home, George the cat is back. ‘I was blown away,’ Frank Walburg said of the unexpected return of his missing feline. ‘Such a big chunk of time has passed.’

George was reunited with Walburg and his wife, Melinda Merman, both dedicated cat companions, last Wednesday after Sonoma County Animal Care and Control officers rescued him from a mobile home park – just 3 miles from their home – at the request of the manager. Authorities scanned the kitty and found an implanted microchip that was encoded with identifying information that they were able to trace back to the couple.

Walburg and Merman arrived at the shelter within 20 minutes after they got the call and saw a cat that was about half the weight of George 13 years ago. But the gray and chestnut coat and the black nose were the same, and so was the distinctive jowl.

All of our cats are chipped and this is why, though hopefully we wouldn’t have to wait thirteen years to get them back.