Photo: RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SERVICESA Californiacatthat went missing seven years ago has reunited with her owner, who now lives in Bearden, Tennessee.Owner Joe Drnec was stunned when he received a call from an animal shelter in Jurupa Valley, California, informing him that his belovedcat, Ebi — who wandered off and never returned home when Drnec lived in California in 2015 — had been found.“We never thought we would ever see her again. This is really an amazing story,” Drnec said, according to a Riverside County Animal ServicesFacebook post.The chief of Riverside County Animal Services, John Welsh, made the trek from Southern California to Tennessee to return Ebi — an 8-year-old short-haired cat — to her owner after identifying the pet’s owner thanks to Ebi’s microchip.Long lost Ebi was brought to Riverside County Animal Services after someone found the pet in downtown Riverside, not far from where she went missing.RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SERVICES"We like getting animals back to their rightful owners even if they tend to be half the country away or to be more than half the country away, so it’s just fun," Welsh toldWATE.He paid for the trip because the shelter cannot use taxpayer dollars for personal pets, he told the outlet.“It took us some time to figure out what we’re going to do, how to get this cat back to Knoxville. The logistics were basically me asking my wife, ‘Can I do this?’ " he explained.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.Welsh and Ebi flew out of Ontario, California, and landed in Nashville, Tennessee, on Feb. 16. They then drove to Bearden, a town outside Knoxville, for the reunion.Drnec and his wife Leanna adopted Ebi from theMary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Centerin Riverside, California. She was primarily an indoorcatbut became interested in spending time outside.“She just went crazy at the door, always wanting to go outside,” said Drnec, per a Riverside County Animal Services social media post. “She eventually became an indoor-outdoor cat.“Ebi never returned home in 2015, and the Drnecs moved to Tennessee the same year with their Calico cat Eunice who is now 14 years old.
Photo: RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SERVICES
A Californiacatthat went missing seven years ago has reunited with her owner, who now lives in Bearden, Tennessee.Owner Joe Drnec was stunned when he received a call from an animal shelter in Jurupa Valley, California, informing him that his belovedcat, Ebi — who wandered off and never returned home when Drnec lived in California in 2015 — had been found.“We never thought we would ever see her again. This is really an amazing story,” Drnec said, according to a Riverside County Animal ServicesFacebook post.The chief of Riverside County Animal Services, John Welsh, made the trek from Southern California to Tennessee to return Ebi — an 8-year-old short-haired cat — to her owner after identifying the pet’s owner thanks to Ebi’s microchip.Long lost Ebi was brought to Riverside County Animal Services after someone found the pet in downtown Riverside, not far from where she went missing.RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SERVICES"We like getting animals back to their rightful owners even if they tend to be half the country away or to be more than half the country away, so it’s just fun,” Welsh toldWATE.He paid for the trip because the shelter cannot use taxpayer dollars for personal pets, he told the outlet.“It took us some time to figure out what we’re going to do, how to get this cat back to Knoxville. The logistics were basically me asking my wife, ‘Can I do this?’ " he explained.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.Welsh and Ebi flew out of Ontario, California, and landed in Nashville, Tennessee, on Feb. 16. They then drove to Bearden, a town outside Knoxville, for the reunion.Drnec and his wife Leanna adopted Ebi from theMary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Centerin Riverside, California. She was primarily an indoorcatbut became interested in spending time outside.“She just went crazy at the door, always wanting to go outside,” said Drnec, per a Riverside County Animal Services social media post. “She eventually became an indoor-outdoor cat.“Ebi never returned home in 2015, and the Drnecs moved to Tennessee the same year with their Calico cat Eunice who is now 14 years old.
A Californiacatthat went missing seven years ago has reunited with her owner, who now lives in Bearden, Tennessee.
Owner Joe Drnec was stunned when he received a call from an animal shelter in Jurupa Valley, California, informing him that his belovedcat, Ebi — who wandered off and never returned home when Drnec lived in California in 2015 — had been found.
“We never thought we would ever see her again. This is really an amazing story,” Drnec said, according to a Riverside County Animal ServicesFacebook post.
The chief of Riverside County Animal Services, John Welsh, made the trek from Southern California to Tennessee to return Ebi — an 8-year-old short-haired cat — to her owner after identifying the pet’s owner thanks to Ebi’s microchip.
Long lost Ebi was brought to Riverside County Animal Services after someone found the pet in downtown Riverside, not far from where she went missing.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SERVICES
“We like getting animals back to their rightful owners even if they tend to be half the country away or to be more than half the country away, so it’s just fun,” Welsh toldWATE.
He paid for the trip because the shelter cannot use taxpayer dollars for personal pets, he told the outlet.
“It took us some time to figure out what we’re going to do, how to get this cat back to Knoxville. The logistics were basically me asking my wife, ‘Can I do this?’ " he explained.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
Welsh and Ebi flew out of Ontario, California, and landed in Nashville, Tennessee, on Feb. 16. They then drove to Bearden, a town outside Knoxville, for the reunion.
Drnec and his wife Leanna adopted Ebi from theMary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Centerin Riverside, California. She was primarily an indoorcatbut became interested in spending time outside.
“She just went crazy at the door, always wanting to go outside,” said Drnec, per a Riverside County Animal Services social media post. “She eventually became an indoor-outdoor cat.”
Ebi never returned home in 2015, and the Drnecs moved to Tennessee the same year with their Calico cat Eunice who is now 14 years old.
source: people.com
