When the Kutscher family made the forty-mile move from Bridgeport, West Virginia, to Morgantown, they were short one furry family member. And though the Kutschers returned again and again to their old house in search of their missing cat, Oliver was nowhere to be found.
That’s because Oliver was already on his way to find his family at their new home. And when he arrived there on his own several weeks after moving day, his heartbroken family was both stunned and relieved. Somehow, their brilliant tabby cat had found his family despite the forty-mile distance that separated them.
Disappeared Without a Trace
Two months ago, orange tabby cat Oliver slipped out of the house as his family loaded the moving trucks that would take them to their new home forty miles away. Mom Halie Kutscher spotted him playing in the front yard with his dog sibling after escaping the chaos of the moving process. But somewhere in those last moments of packing up, Oliver disappeared.
“Last time I saw Oliver, Sasha had chased him up into a tree. We were just kind of finalizing the U-Haul, getting it filled up, and then we closed it,” Halie explained to 12WBOY. “That was the last time I saw Oliver.”
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With the house under contract and vacant, Halie and her husband returned to look for Oliver week after week.
“My husband kept food out for the first week, would constantly go out and call for him. He was always pretty good about responding to being called.”
For all their attempts to find him, Oliver was gone.
“Everytime we left without a sign of him, my son … would cry relentlessly,” Halie told The Dodo. “It was heartbreaking to watch.”
When the new owners took possession, the Kutschers even told them about their missing kitty, just in case he appeared there. But after weeks of no signs, Halie’s hope of seeing Oliver again began to wane. Halie and her husband even readied themselves to tell their son their dear kitty was gone, with Halie sharing, “His dad and I did not think we would have to deal with the loss of a pet at such an early age.”
But before they could have that talk, Oliver found his family at their new home in Morgantown.
Unbelievable Reunion
When Halie’s husband spotted an orange cat sitting in the neighbor’s yard, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“He said, ‘oh my god, that looks like Oliver,’” Halie said. “I run in the house, run to the basement, run out the back door, down into the grass. He sees me coming, and he starts running to me. We’re running to each other like a slow-motion-movie scene, and he lets me scoop him right up.”
Taking her precious lost cat into the house, Halie sobbed in relief and held Oliver close.
“He stayed right there with me as the rest of the family and pets gathered around him.”
Happy to Be Home
Though they knew this was their dear Oliver, the Kutschers confirmed Oliver’s identity with a microchip scan performed by a vet. And in an update on Facebook, Halie shared, “He is overall healthy and doing great.”
“He traveled at least 40 miles over the course of 2 months to find us. I’ve heard of things like this happening but never truly believed it was possible. Now I believe. Anything is possible. Our Oliver Kitty is home again!”
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Feature Image: The Dodo via Halie Kutscher