Cat Presumed Dead In 2018 Mudslide Reunited With Owner

MONTECITO, CA — A long-lost cat, one who had been assumed to be a victim of the deadly Montecito Debris Flow three years ago, has turned up alive.

Patches was found in late December just a quarter of a mile from her Montecito home, according to a Facebook post from the Animal Shelter Assistance Program in nearby Santa Barbara. The cat was turned into the shelter as a stray, and a microchip allowed the rescue to connect her with her owner, Norm.

"He was overwhelmed when he came to pick her up on New Year's Eve, as though he'd seen a ghost," the shelter wrote. "And in a way, it was almost like he had."

Norm's partner, Josie, was one of 23 fatal victims of the debris flow that put about 7,000 under a mandatory evacuation order. Patches' microchip was registered in Josie's name, the shelter said.

"As we see time and time again, a lost cat with a microchip has a much greater chance of being reunited with their family...no matter how, or for how long, they've been separated," the shelter wrote.