A rare Bengal cat separated from its family as a kitten five years ago was reunited with its rightful owner after it was turned into a San Diego Humane Society shelter.
The shelter says Mufasa was just a kitten when he went missing in Arizona. His family surely tried to find him, but he ended up in the hands of another family.
In the five years he was lost, his owners had moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the SDHS said. Twenty-four hours after Mufasa’s pride was contacted, his owner got on a plane to San Diego and took him back home.
“The cat was understandably a little bit fussy being in a new shelter,” Dariel Walker with the SDHS said. “And as soon as he saw [his owner], he immediately recognized him and turned into a puddle of mush. His personality totally transformed when he saw him.”
Walker said Mufasa was “surrendered” to the shelter on Jan. 6. It was unclear if they found Mufasa or if they had him for a while and decided not to keep him, Walker said.
Walker said Mufasa’s Bengal-like print is very rare.
“It’s not a type of cat we see very often,” she said.
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Walker said Mufasa’s story is the perfect example of why everyone should microchip their animals. She said Mufasa’s journey is also a reminder that pet owners need to make sure they update their contact information if it ever changes.
The SDHS hosts microchip and vaccination clinics ever. For more information, click here.
“The first thing we do is scan for a microchip,” Walker said. “It’s a really simple procedure, the size of a grain of rice into the back of the neck.”
Walker called microchipping the “best thing you possibly do to protect your pet.”
