Holly is reunited with her owners after traveling 190 miles.
Little Holly traveled with her owners Jacob and Bonnie Richter, to the Daytona Speedway on November 4, 2012. Frightened by fireworks, the 4-year-old Tortie bolted out of their motor home in the middle of the park and could not be found. For several days, the Richters searched for Holly by putting up flyers and contacted rescue agencies, but were unsuccessful. The sad couple headed back to home to West Palm Beach without their beloved cat.
The Richters thought that Holly had been found two weeks later when they were contacted about a sighting outside of Daytona Beach at a restaurant which is known for feeding feral cats. But the little Tortie disappeared before the Richters could arrive there.
Then on Saturday, January 5, Barb Mazzola found a little lost cat in her yard that had nearly collapsed. "She was so skinny, so thin," Mazzola explains. "All bones and weak and she could hardly walk, she was walking really slow, so weak she couldn't even get a 'meow' out." Mazzola quickly rushed the little kitty to a vet, who found her microchip showing that she belonged to the Richters.
It seems that the cat traveled 190 miles from Daytona Beach all the way down Florida to within one mile of her home; an incredible journey that took her two months to achieve. A tearful Jacob holds his beloved cat and explains "that's quite a trip for a little gal that really wanted to come home. Yeah, she had a journey; we'd love to know the story behind all her trip." Since Holly is an indoor cat, the Richters have no idea how she was able to find her way back home. Now that Holly is back home, the delighted couple plan to fatten her up and spoil her. They are also thankful that Holly had been microchipped and hope other pet owners heed their warning and have their pet microchipped also.