Southern California

β€œHe Really Has Changed”: SoCal Stowaway Cat Finally Reunited With South Carolina Owners

Kevin the cat went missing in June 2013 and traveled more than 2,500 miles to the Arizona-California border before being found.

After racking up thousands of miles with a serious wanderlust, a cat missing for two years finally returned home by Thursday morning.

Kevin, an orange tabby cat, went missing from its South Carolina home in June 2013. He was found in a U-Haul trailer a few weeks ago, unbeknownst to its driver.

An inspector was shocked to hear him meowing inside the truck during a routine check at the border of Arizona and California. The driver took Kevin to a shelter where staff members found his microchip and tracked down the cat's owner, animal services officials said.

"When we looked the information up, this cat, Kevin the cat, we were scratching our heads like, 'South Carolina...what?'" said John Welsh of Riverside County Animal Services in California.

Kevin's owner, Cheryl Walls, had lost hope of ever seeing him again.

"After that long, I didn't think there be no chance that we would see him," Walls said.

Shelter employees and nonprofits Shelter Transport Animal Rescue Team and Animal Solutions Konnection Foundation heard the story and decided to pick up the tabby's travel tab.

Kevin made it home to Anderson, South California, on Wednesday night, a little older and thicker, but safe.

"He has definitely changed," Walls said.

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