‘HITCHED A RIDE’

Oregon Man Reunited With Missing Cat Found 1,200 Miles Away From Home Five Years Later

The Santa Fe Animal Shelter said it was able to locate the owner by scanning the cat’s microchip.

A man and his missing cat were reunited Tuesday after the cat was found over 1,200 miles away—five years after his owner reported the cat missing. The black cat, Sasha, was recently found on the streets of Santa Fe, New Mexico, after disappearing from its home in Portland about five years ago. The Santa Fe Animal Shelter said it was able to locate the owner by scanning Sasha’s microchip. “I couldn't believe it,” Sasha’s owner, Viktor Usov, told the animal shelter. “We thought the worst, but when we received the call, we were so thankful Sasha was alive and well.” While it’s unknown how the cat managed to make it to New Mexico, Usov thinks Sasha “hitched a ride” somehow. “I guess I want to think he was on a great American adventure,” he said. Sasha was flown back to Portland Tuesday by American Airlines and returned to his owner.