Against All Odds: Cat Reunited with Family After Two-Month Wilderness Adventure

During a camping trip in June at Yellowstone National Park, Benny and Susanne Anguiano from California faced a heart-wrenching situation when their cat, Rayne Beau, a 2-year-old Siamese, dashed into the woods. The couple searched tirelessly for five days around their campsite at Fishing Bridge RV Park but couldn’t find him.

Susanne shared that Rayne Beau’s sister, Starr, began meowing through the trailer’s screen door, clearly distressed. Ultimately, the couple had to make the difficult choice to return home to Salinas, California. “Leaving him was unthinkable,” Susanne said. “I felt like I was abandoning him.”

In a surprising twist, nearly two months later, Rayne Beau was found wandering the streets of Roseville, California, about 800 miles from Yellowstone. A worker from the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals contacted the Anguianos after identifying Rayne Beau through his microchip, leaving them shocked at how far he had traveled.

The couple had adopted Rayne Beau and Starr when they were just 11 weeks old. While searching for their pet, a campsite worker had warned them about nearby grizzly bears and coyotes, which made Benny feel that Rayne Beau might have fallen prey to one of these predators, prompting them to leave.

When they finally reunited with Rayne Beau, they noticed he had lost 40 percent of his body weight. Although restless in his carrier, once released in the car, he calmed down and promptly fell asleep.

Since returning home in early August, Rayne Beau has been doing well, but Susanne is now hesitant to travel with her cats again, especially for long distances.