South Carolina to California: Cat Found 2 Years, 2,000 Miles Later

An orange tabby cat that disappeared from South Carolina in 2013 was recently found 2,000 miles away in California.

The cat, named Kevin, was found in a U-Haul trailer that had traveled across the country.

Blythe Animal Shelter officials used a microchip to track down his owner, Cheryl Walls of Anderson, South Carolina, CBS Los Angeles reported.

Walls said Kevin disappeared after she let him outside one day in 2013.

"I assumed someone must have picked him up," she told CBS. "Now he has seen more of the country than me."

Local animal groups and Riverside County shelter employees contributed donations to fly Kevin back to his owner.

The driver of the U-Haul truck was surprised when a food and agriculture inspector found the cat during an inspection at the California/Arizona border.

"We have handled some pets with crazy back stories, and this is one more for the list," Riverside County Animal Services Director Robert Miller told CBS. "The good news is we know the owner, she wants her pet back, and we'll make that happen."

Twitter users commented about the journey.

Wonderful story of a reunion! Missing South Carolina cat found two years later in California http://t.co/3EoGEiRQJv

— CFHS (@CFHS) March 18, 2015

I love this story! A tabby cat, missing for two years, showed up inside a shipping truck more than 2,000 miles away. http://t.co/weWzMOqTkC

— Brianna Bodily (@BriannaBodily) March 17, 2015

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