Missing cat reunited with Tennessee family after 7 years with help of Riverside County animal service chief
A family that moved to Tennessee was reunited with its long-time missing feline friend, thanks to Riverside County Animal Service Chief John Welsh.
Ebi, an 8-year-old cat, came to the county shelter in Jurupa Valley came to the shelter in January after a Good Samaritan found her on Lemon Street in downtown Riverside. Officials said it's actually not far away from where she first disappeared from her family in early 2015.
An employee scanned the cat for a microchip and the scanner beeped. They got a hit! Staff called Ebi's owner, Joe Drbec, who said he was stunned.
“We never thought we would ever see her again,” Drnec said. “This is really an amazing story.”
The Drnecs moved from Riverside before moving to the community of Bearden, in West Knoxville, Tennessee.
They adopted Ebi from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center, a nonprofit shelter organization in Riverside. Ebi was just 3 months old at the time.
“She was primarily an indoor cat,” Drbec said. “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.”
Former Riverside (Calif.) residents (now living in Knoxville) Leanna & Joe Drnec share some thoughts upon Ebi’s return in their lives. @RivCoNow #Calif2Tennessee #petREUNION #KNOXVILLE pic.twitter.com/6YTB6JOCnA
— RivCO animalSERVICES (@helpinRIVcoPETS) February 17, 2022
Welsh flew with Ebi will fly from the Ontario International Airport to Nashville. The pair then traveled by car to Knoxville.
Welsh paid for the trip out of his own pocket.
"Very much money very well spent," Welsh said.
Very sweet staffer Harmony assisted early (4:15 am!) with comforting Ebi before her cross-country trek to Knoxville to her rightful owner. News release: https://t.co/UTdPUB8KrA @RivCoNow #EbiJourney #Cali2Tennessee #Knoxville pic.twitter.com/F4SQCqMeBy
— RivCO animalSERVICES (@helpinRIVcoPETS) February 16, 2022
The Animal Solutions Konnection (ASK) Foundation, a nonprofit organization that assists the county shelter with programs, spay and neuter grant funds and larger projects, also assisted with this reunion.
This isn't the first time Welsh has gone out of his way to help reunite a cat with its long-distance family.
In Dec., Welsh traveled to Oklahoma to reunite a 13-year-old cat with its former owner.
Check Out: Cat receives Christmas gift in trip to reunite with previous owner
