A California couple has been reunited with their beloved Siamese cat, Rayne Beau, after he mysteriously traversed across 800 miles from Yellowstone National Park back to their home in Salinas. The story has captured the hearts of everyone online, with many likening him to Homeward Bound, a 1993 classic about pets that make their way home.
The feline, at two years old, took two months to get back home to Benny and Susanne Anguiano. They found out about his return when a pet microchip registry service rang them up to let them know Rayne Beau, pronounced "rainbow," had been found in Roseville, California, about 800 miles (1,287km) from Yellowstone.
The internet was overjoyed to learn the news, with many taking to social media to share in the couple's happiness. "Homeward bound in real life," one user commented on Reddit.
Several others chimed in to wish the happy couple well.
"They should make movie about this. I can’t imagine the adventures he could regale us with, stories of heartbreak, of loved lost, the hunger, the pain, but, ultimately, the—TRIUMPH!," one user commented.
"Amazing! I've heard of animals traveling miles and miles to be with their family. So glad he made it back home safely! You go Rainbow!!!!!!!," another user shared.
"That’s literally a miracle! Wolves, coyotes, raptors inn Yellowstone, and able to evade all of them? Wow," someone pointed out.
Several others expressed their disbelief at such a "miracle."
"Stories like this amaze me. Unreal," another commented.
"This cat is special," another user declared.
Susanne Anguiano said it was the "hardest day" because she felt like they were "abandoning him" when they left Yellowstone
In June, Benny and Susanne Anguiano headed to Yellowstone Park, a massive wilderness that can be likened to the size of some states, to camp. Startled by something he could have heard or seen, Rayne Beau made a run for it, straight into the dense trees. The duo made every attempt to lure him back to them, placing toys and treats everywhere, but to no avail.
As per NBC News, a Yellowstone employee came up to Benny and told him that a pack of coyotes had pounced on a small dog not too far from them, and it was unlikely the cat would make it through the night. Susanne Anguiano told USA TODAY on Thursday,
"I understood that, but I just made him stay until the very last minute, that's for sure. And even as we were driving out, I had my window down. I'm still calling him and we're still scanning the road. It was pretty traumatic."
She told KSBW,
“We had to leave without him. That was the hardest day because I felt like I was abandoning him. We were driving along and out of nowhere, these double rainbows appear, and it just knit it all together for me.”
She noted that the rainbow was a sign to her that she would one day be reunited with her beloved pet. As they were leaving Yellowstone, with Rayne Beau's twin sister Starr Jasmine in the carrier, Benny told Susanne that Rayne Beau "is being taken care of," USA TODAY reported.
Two months later, the feline's microchip proved to be the catalyst that reunited the family. PetWatch, a pet microchip registry service, called the couple to inform them of the happy news: they had found the cat in Roseville, California, over 800 miles from Yellowstone. Sussanne didn't pay heed to the calls until her husband and daughter were also contacted. Benny told the outlet,
"I said, 'take a picture. I want to make sure I don't drive three-and-a-half hours and it's not my cat.' So they did. About 20 minutes later, they sent a picture and yep, it was him."
The cat was at the local branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The couple told NBC News that a woman had found him and brought him there when she realized he was someone's pet. She described the happy moment to USA TODAY, saying,
"When we for sure knew, we were in tears. We were all hugging and crying."
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According to Sussane, the once-14-pound cat weighed only 8 when he was found, and she noted that he was "really depleted." According to her, he likely didn't have the energy to carry on further. His paws were dry and cracked, riddled with callouses, and according to his blood tests, he suffered from inadequate nutrition.
She noted that he was mandatorily microchipped by the local rescue shelter from where he and his twin were adopted, and expressed her gratefulness that it wasn't the other feline pet that ran off. She revealed that Star's microchip had accidentally fallen off when she was a kitten. She also called on all pet owners to microchip their loved ones, and to register their owners name and contact information.
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