Posted on 05/14/2009 2:20:01 PM PDT by JoeProBono
When Charlie, a 5-year-old black and white cat, went missing two years ago, Kristian Codero and her family never gave up hope of finding him again.
“Every time we would see a black and white cat, we had to stop and see if it was Charlie,” Kristian said.
Charlie has distinctive markings on the underside of his chin, but each time the Coderos looked under a cat’s chin, it turned out not to be Charlie.
Not knowing what had happened to Charlie made the loss especially hard for 12-year-old Kallie Codero.
“She’s cried ever since the day we lost him,” Kristian said, adding that they feared Charlie had become the victim of a coyote attack.
Last week, on a trip to Petsmart to pick up food for the guinea pig, the family’s two-year dream was realized when 10-year-old Karrah spotted the wayward Charlie in the window of the Field Haven Feline Rescue booth.
“He lifted his head, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, that’s him,’ ” Kristian said. “I knew it was Charlie, and I asked the (Petsmart) worker if I could get in there, but he said only Field Haven has the key.”
Kristian called the number on the window, but it was after hours, and she got a recording.
“I sat down. I wouldn’t leave until I had talked to someone,” Kristian said.
Fortunately, a separate phone number was posted for after-hours calls, and Kristian got in touch with Field Haven, setting up a time to meet the next day and bring Charlie home.
Shortly after noon on Thursday, Joy Smith and Jen Paul from Field Haven met Kristian at Petsmart.
It was a tearful reunion as Smith handed Charlie to Kristian, reuniting the cat with his owner after a nearly two-year odyssey.
The Codero family moved to Lincoln in January, 2007, and Charlie, who liked to spend time in the garage, went missing six months later.
The Coderos took repeated trips to the Placer County SPCA and made calls to animal control and other shelters, but none bore fruit.
Field Haven rescued Charlie outside The Home Depot on October, 2007, finding him skinny and hungry.
“Charlie never was much of a hunter,” Kristian said. “His brother was always the hunter.”
Both Charlie and his brother have belonged to the Coderos since they were kittens.
When Field Haven couldn’t find an owner, Charlie was put up for adoption, and went to live with another Lincoln family.
Charlie, however, had “litterbox issues,” according to Smith, and the distraught family brought him back after a year.
The “litterbox issues” warranted a series of medical tests, but nothing was physically wrong with Charlie, who spent most of his time at Field Haven quietly.
For one week, Charlie was put into the booth at Petsmart, and it happened to be the week the Coderos needed to buy food for the guinea pig.
“This is just too crazy,” Kristian said. “It was meant to be.”
As soon as he saw Kristian, Charlie came to life, leaving his quiet side behind as he recognized his long-lost family.
“He’s never been this perky with us,” Paul said.
Kristian hugged Charlie to her chest and stroked his head as Smith and Paul watched, alternately fighting tears and laughing.
“We always say that miracles happen at Field Haven,” Paul said. “This is just another one.”
Yep, says me.
If your cat gets on my property, I can and will place Havahart traps so that animal control can come by and pick it up.
When my dog was still living, you can believe I had respect enough for my neighbors to keep him in my yard.
“They don’t miss what they have never experienced.”
Yeah, right. Whatever.
Thank you, see my post above.
Whatever? Wow, that’s it?
I don’t let my many pets roam. Tell me why you think cats are special and entitled to roam at will.
After my daughter had 2 beloved cats disappear..and the neighbors cat was poisoned..I relunctantly have only housecats now..
It seems unnatural to me, too...but they are safe from predators, cars and angry neighbors now.
I never have trouble getting the older, once outdoor, stray in the house when she decides to slip out...They have squirrels, birds and raccoons to look at from the sliding doors..and seem just fine being indoor cats.
They play in the garage, too..but the door is always down when they do.
I love this story!
Actually, in many jurisdictions, cats are specifically allowed by law to roam free (after spay/neuter, and with current rabies vaccine), while dogs are not. I made sure that was the case in the jurisdiction I bought a home in, because there was no way I was going to imprison my cats indoors for their whole lives. The objective reasons for the difference is that cats are 1) too small to do any harm to humans who aren’t actively trying to grab and hold the cat, and 2) cats don’t combine into aggressive packs the way dogs do (many dogs that would never launch an attack when by themselves or with their human owner, will do so when they’re roaming with other dogs), 3) cats don’t poop in the middle of sidewalks, they poop in dirt or sand and will usually fastidiously cover it up afterwards as well, and 4) cats cannot be contained by a normal fence so if they go outside at all they either roam free or there has to be an expensively and unsightly 3 dimensional (i.e. roofed) fenced/screened enclosure built for them.
There is nothing outside for a cat but disease and death. Indoor cats live years longer than outdoors because they don’t have to deal with fleas, raccoons, coyotes, cars, ticks, thorns, mockingbirds, contaminated vermin, etc.
Domesticated cats are just that, domesticated. They’re much happier inside because they’re little hedonists and love their comfort more than they love their humans.
A well-screened (double reinforced screening is available that will stop anything smaller than a puma) open window gives them all the fresh air that they need, and the only other thing that they want from outside is grass. That problem can be solved by growing some oatgrass for them and giving them clippings a few times a week.
We have four healthy, happy, clean, diseast-free, injury-free cats who love to watch the birds, squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks through the windows. They don’t even try to get out when the door is open.
Ignorance is: thinking cats always belong indoors.
You wanna ask the cat? Unbelievable.
There is nothing outside for people but disease and death. Indoor people live years longer than outdoors because they don't have to deal with traffic, polution, allergies, bird sh*t which bring a 100 diseases to your backyard (and you don't even realize it--but you get sick from it), shooting sprees,car jackers and robbers, sneezing and coughing people, disease ridden dirty shopping cart handles, lose pit bulls or road rage.
Ignorance is thinking that cats have special rights to be on my property. I don’t let other people’s dogs have free rein and the same applies to cats.
Our cat is microchipped. Something about having the register him every year though. Sort of complicated and expensive.
Joe Cool indeed. Hubby LHAO, and I did too.
I pity your kitties.
You are far kinder than i’d be regarding roaming cats on my property.
You should see what my dad does with his .223 varmint rifle up on the farm. LOL
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