Cat named Lucky is found nearly 1,500 miles away from home

PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. (KCTV) - A cat that is now in Prairie Village wandered nearly 1,500 miles away from its owner.

The “lucky” cat is now being returned to its owner thanks to one caring resident and the city’s police department.

It’s a story you don’t hear every day. Even for a 21-year law enforcement veteran like Capt. Ivan Washington, it’s shocking.

“I’ve never heard of anything like this in my 20-plus years of service,” said Capt. Washington, who is with the Prairie Village Police Department.

It all started when a resident found a cat on Saturday night. It was too cold for the animal to be outside, so they called Prairie Village’s Animal Control Unit.

“We have microchips here,” said Capt. Washington. “Our Animal Control Unit microchipped the cat. Usually the kitten is local, right? That way, we can reunite the kitten with the owner quickly. This time, it ended up that the owner is in Miami, Florida.”

That created a few challenges, but the police department continued working and eventually identified the owner. They called them and started working to reconnect them with their cat.

“We have no idea how it landed so many miles away from its owner,” Washington said, smiling. “That is a long journey for anyone, needless to say a cat.”

The owner said that the cat has been missing for two years. They thought it was stolen and had actually filed a police report.

And, as if this story wasn’t interesting enough, the cat’s name is Lucky.

“‘Stop it, right?’” Washington said, still smiling. “That was their response. ‘You got Lucky?’ I guess we have Lucky. Yes, Lucky was lucky. We have Lucky. They are ecstatic. They’re happy, obviously.”

The Prairie Village Police Department will provide services to the cat through the Great Plains Pet Adoption Center until they can make the necessary arrangements to get the cat back to Miami in the coming days.

Copyright 2023 KCTV. All rights reserved.