California cat who went missing EIGHT YEARS ago reunites with owner – who now lives in Tennessee

A California cat who went missing almost eight years ago was recently reunited with her owner – who now lives across the country in Tennessee. 

The cat, named Ebi, was brought into Riverside County Animal Services last month after she was found in the Ontario-neighborhood of California by a good Samaritan.

After scanning the animal for a microchip, the shelter discovered that the eight-year-old short-haired tabby belonged to the Drnec family, who had lived in the area but moved away in 2015, just a few months after Ebi had disappeared. 

When they called Joe Drnec to let him know that his pet had been found after almost a decade, he was stunned, admitting he ‘never thought they would see her again.’  

‘It was quite a surprise to get that phone call,’ he told the Knoxville News Sentinel. ‘It brought my whole family to tears.’

A California cat who went missing almost eight years ago was reunited with its owner – who now lives across the country in Tennessee

The cat (pictured at the shelter), named Ebi, was brought into Riverside County Animal Services last month after she was found in the Ontario-neighborhood of California

The cat (pictured at the shelter), named Ebi, was brought into Riverside County Animal Services last month after she was found in the Ontario-neighborhood of California

After scanning the animal for a microchip, the shelter discovered that the cat belonged to the Drnec family, who had moved to Tennessee in 2015

After scanning the animal for a microchip, the shelter discovered that the cat belonged to the Drnec family, who had moved to Tennessee in 2015

They called Joe Drnec (pictured with his other cat) to let him know that his pet had been found

 They called Joe Drnec (pictured with his other cat) to let him know that his pet had been found

Joe and his wife Leanna now live in Knoxville, Tennessee, so Ebi had to take a five-hour airplane ride to reunite with her owners.

The feline was accompanied by Riverside County Animal Services employee John Welsh for the cross-country trek, and the costs were covered by the Animal Solutions Konnection (ASK) Foundation, along with a ‘personal donation’ from John.

‘We like getting animals back to their rightful owners, even if they tend to be half the country away … It’s just fun,’ John explained to local news outlet WATE 6.

‘It took us some time to figure out what we’re going to do, how to get this cat back to Knoxville. The logistics were basically me asking my wife, “Can I do this?” 

‘My wife and I, we don’t have children. We just lost our cat recently and that was really hard for us. I know how much cats mean to people, it was very much money well spent.’ 

Joe, along with his wife Leanna, now live in Knoxville, Tennessee, so Ebi had to take a five-hour airplane ride to reunite with her owners

Joe, along with his wife Leanna, now live in Knoxville, Tennessee, so Ebi had to take a five-hour airplane ride to reunite with her owners

The feline was accompanied by Riverside County Animal Services employee John Welsh (pictured) for the cross-country trek, who helped pay for the trip himself

The feline was accompanied by Riverside County Animal Services employee John Welsh (pictured) for the cross-country trek, who helped pay for the trip himself

The Drnecs also have a cat named Eunice (pictured with Joe), who is 14, and they told the outlet they are keeping Ebi in a room by herself while she gets re-acquainted to life with them

The Drnecs also have a cat named Eunice (pictured with Joe), who is 14, and they told the outlet they are keeping Ebi in a room by herself while she gets re-acquainted to life with them

The Drnec family had adopted Ebi when she was only three months old. Joe told the shelter that they would sometimes let her outside, but one day, she didn’t come back.

‘She was primarily an indoor cat,’ he explained. ‘But she just went crazy at the door, always wanting to go outside.

‘We allowed it, but my wife always supervised her. She eventually was an indoor-outdoor cat. But one day she did not come back.’ 

He explained to WATE 6 that he ‘hoped and prayed’ Ebi had found ‘a good home.’ 

‘We went through the whole process of mourning,’ he told the Knoxville News Sentinel. ‘We thought she was gone forever. We didn’t know we would ever see her again.’ 

The Drnecs also have a cat named Eunice, who is 14, and they told the outlet they are keeping Ebi in a room by herself while she gets re-acquainted to life with them. 

‘She looks healthy and happy. She doesn’t look war-torn, like an outdoor cat,’ he said.

He concluded that the whole thing is a reminder that ‘there is still so much good out there.’