Missing Michigan cat turns up two months later in Florida

Jan. 9 (UPI) -- A Detroit-area cat known for his wandering habits went missing for two months before turning up again -- in Florida.

Judy Sanborn of Dearborn said her family's 2 1/2-year-old cat, Bandit, went missing in October and there was no sign of the feline until she received a mid-December phone call from the BluePearl pet hospital in Tampa.

The clinic said a woman had dropped Bandit off at the facility, saying he was a stray that followed her home. Workers checked Bandit for a microchip and were able to find his owners' information.

Bandit is expected to make the trip home this week thanks to a pilot who agreed to give the tabby a lift.

The Sanborns and BluePearl staff were equally baffled as to how Bandit ended up more than 1,100 miles from home. Judy Sanborn theorized he might have curled up for a nap and accidentally hitched a ride on a moving van.

Sanborn said Bandit is a born explorer, so keeping him inside is a difficult task. She said she plans to outfit him with a collar bearing her embroidered phone number in case he takes another long trip.

"He [is] a little traveler," she told the Detroit Free Press.