The extraordinary 10 year journey to return home of Pilot the cat

Pilot went missing from his loving home in Santa Rosa ten years ago in 2007; three years after he was adopted. We don’t know how he survived those ten years. However, what is clear is that he survived the recent massive Santa Rosa fires. He suffered severe burns and we are told by The Press Democrat that he survived for around two weeks with little water and food.

Thompson and Pilot
Thompson and Pilot. Photo on Bing images and therefore in public domain in my opinion. Photo taken by Thompson (a selfie it seems).

At Halloween he was rescued. His rescuer took him to the local animal hospital: Santa Rosa’s Petcare Veterinary Hospital.

With great fortune it was discovered that he had a microchip which informed the hospital that he was registered to the Thompson family who had moved to Colorado three years after his disappearance. Thompson is still in Colorado.

Thompson worked in the veterinary business for 20 years. She is now a pet sitter and dog walker. She was naturally thrilled to be told that Pilot had been found. She was in disbelief.

“And to know what he’s been through with the fires is absolutely unbelievable. He’s one very determined little guy. And he’s doing amazingly well considering his injuries.”

Eight days later Pilot was reunited with his caretaker/guardian who took him home to Colorado.

In the photo you can see his burns. I wonder if Pilot was cared for by someone in Santa Rosa all this time and when the wildfires took hold, his ‘new owners’ had to escape and in doing so they left Pilot behind. This created the opportunity for Pilot to be rescued and ultimately returned to his original owner. If my theory is correct the Santa Rosa owners might come forward. I hope not.




1 thought on “The extraordinary 10 year journey to return home of Pilot the cat”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.

Leave a Comment

follow it link and logo