Utah family reunited with missing cat after 11 years away from home

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah (KTVX) — After more than a decade, one Utah County family has been reunited with their long-lost cat.

Laura and Cole Christensen told Nexstar's KTVX they adopted Mischa, a beautiful gray Russian Blue, 11 years ago, shortly after they built their first home near Orem. The home was built near some wetlands and they knew they would need a cat to deal with the mice.

"When you have mice, you get a cat," said Laura. "So we found her [online] and then went and picked her up, and brought her home."

But after having Mischa for just a few weeks, their beloved feline took an opportunity to bolt out of their backdoor, and the Christensens thought their cat was gone forever.

"We did look," explained Laura. "She was chipped. So we thought maybe we would get a call and say, 'Hey, somebody has turned in your cat.' Or one of the neighbors would say, 'Hey, I saw your cat.' And never. Not a word."

That is until October of this year, more than 11 years after Mischa escaped. Laura told KTVX she received an email from 24PetWatch, the company that monitors Mischa's microchip. The email said Mischa had been found and was being held at a local animal shelter.

Laura said at first, she thought the email was spam or a mistake. Then, she got a second email and a text message saying her cat had been found.

"I'm like, 'No, no, no, this has gotta be wrong. Somebody messed up the chips or something has happened,'" said Laura. "And we went literally to the shelter, and sure enough, it was our cat."

Cole and Laura said Mischa was in pretty rough shape when they were reunited with her. Her fur was matted, she was frail and thin, and she had fleas and a large wound on her shoulder. Cole said Mischa was in rough shape and looked as if she had just been struck by lighting.

To make matters worse, a vet said the wound was, in fact, a tumor. But in a story of miracles, Mischa was going to be OK.

The vet found Mischa did not have any kidney or health problems aside from the cancer. And thankfully, the cancer had not spread and was easily removed with surgery. In the months since the Christensens had been reunited with Mischa, she has even put on a few pounds and started to regain her energy.

But Laura and Cole said she has found a permanent home, curled up on their bed, where she is more than content to stay.

"If I hadn't lived it, I honestly wouldn't believe it," Laura said with a laugh.

As for what Laura and Cole think Mischa has been up to for the last 10 years?

"I think she was just down with all the mice down by the fields where we built the house. She probably just lived out there," Cole said.

"I don't think so. I think at some point, she had a family," said Laura. "I would think, if she had lived so long as a feral cat, I don't think she would be as calm and just not skittish. You can pet her. She doesn't bite you. She doesn't hiss at anybody. So I hope that she had a good family."

Laura explained that after getting the call from the Utah County Animal Shelter, they had waited five days to see if anyone else had come to claim her. But this miracle reunion sold the importance of getting pets microchipped. Since Mischa had gone missing, the Christensens have adopted a few more cats and every single one of them is chipped.

"It's not expensive at all. If you're adopting any animal you should have that animal chipped just for situations like this," said Laura. "Just so you have peace of mind."

And of course, the Christensens said they learned the hard way to keep their doors shut around their house.