Florida Cat Goes Missing On A Trip, Then Gets Found 900 Miles Away And The Story Goes Viral
It all started in Corolla, North Carolina, a place where families relax, waves crash, and apparently… cats plot their great escape.
A family from Florida brought their cat Xena along, thinking she’d enjoy the change of scenery, maybe nap in some sunshine, maybe sniff some beachy breezes. But nope. Miss Xena had other plans.
One day, something startled her out of nowhere. Before anyone even understood what happened, she slipped right out of her harness and disappeared. Just gone.
They searched everywhere. Morning, evening… nothing. And when vacation ended, they had to make the heartbreaking drive back to Boynton Beach without her.
Days faded into weeks. Still no word. And slowly, hope started dimming… until out of absolutely nowhere, the miracle they’d been wishing for finally showed up.
Almost two months after Xena vanished, the Currituck Animal Shelter in North Carolina got a call. Someone had spotted a cat lingering near a storm drain not far from where Xena had disappeared.
She looked exhausted, thin, and was limping on one paw. But she was alive. The shelter shared on Facebook:
“Animal Control received a call last week about an injured cat in Corolla. Officer Griffith responded, not knowing if she was going to be able to catch the cat that night or leave a trap and return if/when the cat went in the trap. Luckily, she was able to locate and bring the cat back to the shelter that evening.”
Even though Xena looked pretty beat up, she still had that spark. She was meowing nonstop, yelling for love, basically saying, “Hey, someone please notice me!”
And then came the moment everything flipped. They scanned her for a microchip… and the screen showed a Florida address. It was Xena.
After disappearing for weeks, she’d somehow survived storms, days alone, nights outside, and she’d ended up just half a mile from where she first slipped away.
The shelter called her family, and the shock hit them instantly. After so long with zero updates, they barely believed it at first. But once it sank in, they jumped in the car and started the 900-mile drive back to North Carolina.
When they finally walked into the shelter, the reunion felt like something straight out of a feel-good movie. Tears, smiles, shaky laughs… all the emotions bursting at once.
That moment of finally holding her again was truly unforgettable. The shelter shared:
“Xena and her dad hit the road back home! This is a great reminder to be sure that your pets microchip information is correct and also to speak with your veterinarian or reach out for resources to have your pet microchipped if they are not already.”
And honestly? They’re right. That tiny little microchip brought a lost cat back to the people who missed her every single day.
Now, back in Boynton Beach, Xena’s taking it slow. Eating, resting, soaking up all the love she missed. She’s safe. She’s home.
And after this whole wild adventure, one thing’s pretty certain: she’s not breaking out of her harness again anytime soon.
