After a 13-year absence, George the cat was reunited with his owners Frank Walberg and Melinda Merman of Santa Ana, Calif., on Nov. 5 after animal control officers discovered him at a mobile home park, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The grey and brown feline, now 17, was found 3 miles away from his home and no one is really sure how he got there -- though the feline had been known to jump into cars occasionally, Walburg said. When George went missing in 1995 Walburg posted signs, searched animal shelters and offered a $500 reward in an effort to find him -- but to no avail.
"We always thought about him," he said.
Now a much older George is back at home after a microchip implanted before he disappeared revealed who he belonged to. Weighing only six pounds when he was found and suffering from a curable parasite disease, he's not quite as lively as he used to be.
"The selfish part of me wants him back and healthy and ready to play again," Walburg said. "I don't know if that's even possible, so I've found myself making small bargains with a God I've never believed in and want whatever is best (for) him."
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