Lost Colorado cat turns up in New York

BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 15 (UPI) -- A Colorado family said they "couldn't believe it" when they heard their cat, who disappeared five years ago, turned up 1,800 miles away in New York.

Jamie Squires said she and her family received a call Wednesday from a Manhattan shelter, where workers identified Willow the calico cat from a microchip her family had implanted under her skin years ago, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

"When we first heard the voicemail, we couldn't believe it," Squires said. "My husband and I didn't want to tell the kids until we knew it was definitely her. They emailed the photo and it was her. The kids are so excited."

Julie Bank, executive director of Animal Care & Control in New York, said shelter workers were overjoyed to reunite the cat with her family.

"No one knows how the cat made her way from Colorado to New York City, but we are happy she is safe and will soon be back with her owners," Bank said. "This miracle story underscores the importance of having some sort of identification on your pet and the effectiveness of a microchip."