Photos, Amy Campion
.
George slipped out through the garage of his family’s new home on moving day in May and was recently discovered back at their former residence, 12 miles away across the city of Portland, Oregon. George had walked all the way back to the place he considered to be home. He is back with his family at the new place, where his people are being extra careful that he remains inside.
The Oregonian reported on the story, saying that when Amy Campion and her family moved the 12 miles from the St. Johns neighborhood to Parkrose Heights in Portland last month they brought their three pets over one at a time and George, 2 years old and the friendliest of the pets, was the last of the the three to make the trip.
George was unhappy and unsettled, and reportedly yowled, clawed the walls and headed for the closet, where the family’s oldest cat hid when she came to the new home.
George is thought to have escaped through the garage door during the move. Amy searched the neighborhood and introduced herself to her new neighbors, none of whom could say they’d seen the missing cat. Amy visited the local shelter and contacted animal agencies looking for George, who is microchipped, with no luck.
Amy was aware of the stories of cats who travel back to their homes, so she wondered if George might possibly turn up back in St. Johns and contacted her old landlord and some neighbors. Sure enough, a former neighbor spotted George three weeks after he’d gone missing, back at his old home, where he reportedly had been begging the new tenants to let him in.
“It made me feel pretty happy,” said Celeste Martin, the former neighbor, who joked that George was loyal to the old neighborhood.
“St. Johns has a lot of pride. So of course he came back here. It’s where he should live anyway,” said Martin.
George’s family rushed right over to get him.
“I couldn’t believe it was him,” Campion said. “He was thinner, but he seemed perfectly fine.”
George’s route between the two neighborhoods crosses highways and the area is known to harbor coyotes. A bear was sighted in the general area last week. Amy says it was a big mistake letting George escape during the turmoil of the move. He will only be allowed out on the leash for the foreseeable future.
You can read the full story in The Oregonian.
KATU made this video report on the story:
.
.
.
.
