Following the disastrous landslides and mudslides that struck Southern California in January 2018, a cat was fortunately discovered and reunited with his family.
The cat was supposed to have died in the landslides, but it was discovered less than a quarter mile from its house three years later.
Unfortunately, the tremendous landslides of that season killed 23 individuals, making the event even more remarkable.
Patches, the cat, has been missing since the debris flow started in Montecito on January 9th. According to The Los Angeles Times, the landslides caused so much damage that 100 homes were demolished and more than 300 were damaged.
Josie Gower, Patches’ mother, was one of the victims of the tragedy. Norm Borgatello, her husband, made it out alive.
Norm had also gone missing since the natural calamity, until he discovered a homeless cat in an animal shelter.
The animal was taken in by volunteers at the Animal Shelter Assistance Program (ASAP) in Santa Barbara, and after registering its microchip, they discovered it was Patches.
The cat was microchipped in Josie’s name, making it simple to contact her family and arrange a meeting, something no one expected to be feasible at the time.
ASAP did not hesitate to share the tale on social media, despite the fact that it had been three years since the tragedy; this news would bring absolute joy.
On Facebook, ASAP wrote:
“It was a shock to learn it was Patches after scanning his microchip.”
Norm had no idea Patches was still alive until the shelter called him.
He was astonished and overwhelmed by the news, but he did not hesitate to travel to the shelter to meet his new pet. The cat had been spotted less than a quarter mile from his original home in Montecito, as if he was waiting for someone.
Everything came to a halt as Norm and Patches were finally reunited; it was a poignant moment.
ASAP remarked:
“When he came to pick up Patches, he was overcome with emotion, as if he had encountered a ghost.” In some ways, it was exactly what he had done.
Patches’ whereabouts throughout those three years are unknown, but he appeared to be overjoyed to be reunited with his family.
