In a heartwarming tale of reunion, a tabby cat named Butters has been reunited with his owners, Angelo and Shelley Castellino, after an astonishing 12-year separation. The remarkable reunion was made possible through the practice of microchipping.
The Castellino family had adopted Butters during their time in San Diego over a decade ago. However, in 2011, Butters mysteriously disappeared, leaving his family devastated.
Angelo recounted, “Butters was a very adventurous cat, and he liked to go outside a lot, and he had learned how to use the dog door. And one day, he never returned. We went looking for him, and our assumption was the coyotes got him because there’s a canyon nearby, and we didn’t think much about it after that, except that we were sad he was gone.”
Several years later, the Castellinos relocated to Seattle, taking Butters’ brother, Barnacles, with them, believing they would never see Butters again. However, fate had other plans.
On October 1, their 29th wedding anniversary, the Castellinos received a phone call that would change everything. Angelo admitted, “At first, we didn’t pick it up because we thought it was one of these scam calls, but when they called back again, my wife picked up. He told her they had Butters. I thought it was a prank call because the cat was gone for 12 years, but how did he know our cat’s name?”
The caller was Riverside County Animal Services Officer Dalton Churchwell, who had discovered Butters wandering in his backyard in Blythe, a desert community. Officer Churchwell used a scanner to read Butters’ microchip, which contained the contact information for the Castellino family. Thanks to a generous donation from the Animal Solutions Konnection, a charitable organization serving Riverside County Animal Services, volunteer Larry Randolph flew to Seattle to reunite Butters with his long-lost owners.
The exact details of Butters’ 216-mile journey from San Diego to Blythe and his experiences during those 12 years remain a mystery. Nevertheless, the Castellinos and Mr. Randolph all agree that this remarkable reunion was something truly special.
Shelley emphasized the importance of microchipping pets, saying, “Our prodigal kitty has come home. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get your kitty cats and your doggies chipped.”
