SoCal cat missing for 12 years reunited with family who'd moved to Washington state
Riverside County Department of Animal Services Animal Technician Alison Chavez holding Butters, a large grey striped cat (Courtesy of Riverside County Department of Animal Services)
JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. - A cat that went missing in San Diego more than a decade ago has been reunited with his family who now lives in Washington state.
Butters the cat went missing in 2011 from Angelo and Shelly Castellino's San Diego home. Twelve years later, Butters wandered into the backyard of Riverside County Animal Control officer.
Dalton Churchwell was home on Oct. 1 when he found a cat roaming around his Blythe backyard. Churchwell managed to catch the cat and bring it to get it scanned for a microchip. The scan returned a hit, and Butters was identified.
"It was just unbelievable. I’m so grateful to Officer Churchwell to have Butters identified," said Angelo Castellino. "The officer just really went out of his way. You know, he did this on a Sunday night, on his time off."
The only problem, was that Butters family had moved from San Diego to Stanwood, Washington, about 1,300 miles away.
When the Ask Foundation heard about Butters' story though, they pitched in to help. They offered to fund the cost of a flight to Seattle for Butters and a Riverside County Animal Services volunteer. Butters was reunited with his family, including his brother Barnacles, on Oct. 7.
"We were thrilled to work with the Department of Animal Services to make this reunion possible," said Carolyn Badger, president, ASK Foundation. "It was such a wonderful story and we are very happy to know that Butters is home and safe with his family."