Sophia went missing seven years ago from her Arizona home, and her family had long since given up hope of ever seeing her again.
That changed with a surprise call from a shelter in Southern California saying they had the cat.
A family caring for the cat relinquished her to the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA over the weekend, the organization announced Christmas Eve.
A microchip scan identified Sophia and led shelter staffers to contact her family in Arizona. Trish Oster said she was shocked at the news that her long missing cat had been found.
A Humane Society staffer will accompany Sophia on a flight to Phoenix on Wednesday.
“We heard that the family was unable to get Sophia back home to Arizona so we decided to do whatever it takes to get her back to them,” said Gary Weitzman, president of the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA. “Everyone deserves to be home for the holidays, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get Sophia back to her family. This is another great testament to the importance of the microchip.”
“I didn’t know how I was going to manage getting her from San Diego,” Trish Oster said. “I’m so grateful to the San Diego Humane Society for bringing my Sophia back to me. It’s the best Christmas gift I could have asked for.”
thank goodness she is still alive.