A house cat who went missing during a couple’s trip to Yellowstone National Park in early June has reunited with his owners after two months and nearly 900 miles of travel.
According to NBC News, Benny and Susanne Anguiano journeyed from Salinas, California, to Yellowstone with their pet Rayne Beau when he became frightened and ran off.
The couple laid out Rayne Beau’s “favorite treats and toys” in hopes of luring him back, but when their trip ended, he had not returned.
Benny shared that a Yellowstone employee warned them about a pack of coyotes attacking a small dog in the area around the same time, suggesting Rayne Beau’s return might be unlikely.
“We had to leave without him,” Susanne told NBC affiliate KSBW. “That was the hardest day because I felt like I was abandoning him.”
As they drove away from the campsite, Benny and Susanne spotted a double rainbow—a nod to their cat’s namesake—and took it as a sign that Rayne Beau would be okay.
Sixty days later, the couple received a message from the pet microchip registry service PetWatch, which provided information about Rayne Beau’s location. He was found at a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) facility in Roseville, California, hundreds of miles from Yellowstone.
KSBW reported that a woman spotted the cat alone in the street and called it in. At the time, Rayne Beau was found weighing just 8 lbs, down from his usual 14 lbs.
“He was really depleted,” Susanne told the outlet. “He probably didn’t have a lot of energy to even go further.”
Rayne Beau was reunited with his family on August 4 and is now back with his twin sister, according to NBC News.
Benny shared with KSBW that he hopes their story helps others facing similar situations. “Definitely microchip your cat or pet and register the microchip online. We would have never gotten them back had that not happened,” Susan emphasized, while Benny added, “We have a global tracker now.”