Cat That Went Missing in California Mudslides Reunited With Family After 475 Days

In an astonishing incident, a family in the California Central Coast town of Montecito was reunited with their cat Diamond after their adored pet went missing 475 days ago.

The Storgoff family were among the thousand of residents who were given sudden notice to evacuate their homes during the Montecito mudslides in January 2018, when heavy rain sent debris flowing from areas scarred by catastrophic fires into the largely affluent community.

During the mandatory evacuation, the Storgoffs realized that they couldn’t find their two cats. Upon returning some days later to evaluate the damage, their cats couldn’t be found.

Almost a year and half later, Noelle Storgoff told KABC that she told a local contractor about her missing cats when the man, who was assisting in the home’s reconstruction, asked to see photos of the cats. After looking at the photos, he quickly told Noelle that he was feeding a cat that looked identical to one of the two in the photo.

Miraculously, after Storgoff followed the contractor back to his home to meet the cat in question, it indeed turned out to be Diamond, one of the Storgoffs missing cats.

An emotional reunion ensued when Diamond was reunited with her family, including the Strogoff’s three children.

The other cat, unfortunately, remains missing.

Regardless, Noelle hopes that her story will give others hope to believe that the impossible can happen.

According to Daily Mail, she said:

“Don’t give up, keep looking, just keep talking to people and expressing what it is you are looking for.”

The Thomas Fire that preceded the mudslides was the largest in modern California history, consuming 281,893 acres and devastating Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, raging from December 2017 until it was finally extinguished in June 2018.

The fire was followed by heavy rain that ultimately killed 21 people, hospitalized 150 and destroyed or damaged hundreds of structures.