A trucker in Illinois has been reunited with his cat after the feline went missing from his vehicle, reports Cowboy State Daily. Chad McIntyre was traveling with his cat, Tyler, when the pet managed to flee from his truck in Fernley, Nevada. Five days later, the animal was found in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
Cat went missing when trucker was changing his litter box
McIntyre was changing his pet’s litter box when the cat fled his vehicle. “My husband had just fed him and pulled out the cat litter box he keeps on the floorboard to empty it like he had done 100 other times,” his wife Brandy said. She added her husband “has no idea” how Tyler managed to flee from the vehicle without him seeing because the feline is “not small.”
Continuing, Brandy shared, “He’s a 15-pound cat and my husband did not see him sneak by.” She later posted about the incident in several Facebook groups. After a few days, she learned that Tyler was in Wyoming, 670 miles away from where he disappeared.
A Good Samaritan found the cat roaming around at a truck stop in Rock Springs. Subsequently, the feline was taken to a local shelter. Since Tyler was microchipped, the shelter was able to track his owners down quickly.
Rock Springs Animal Shelter Supervisor Lydia Gomez said she initially thought the cat belonged to someone local. However, she was shocked to find out the feline’s owners were in Illinois. Gomez later phoned Brandy, who was equally shocked to discover Tyler had traveled so far.
“When she called to tell us he was in Rock Springs, I was like, ‘Wait, what? Where’s that?’” Brandy shared. “I couldn’t believe it when she said, ‘Wyoming.'”
Tyler was ultimately brought back to his home in Illinois with the help of a transport coordinator and several volunteers.
After his eventful cross-country adventure, the cat has been grounded for a travel hiatus. “My husband and I just have decided that maybe it’s better if he stays home for at least a while,” Brandy said.
