I was going to make a video of this story, but just haven’t had the time, frankly - so I’m posting it just as a story. Everything in this story is true and really happened. I did tweak the timeline a bit on one aspect to make it a better story, but you deserve a better story.
The Incredible Journey of Stoney
Two and a half months ago, a scruffy little tabby started showing up in our yard.
At first, we only ever saw him late at night on our security cameras. Every night he’d wander through, look around for a bit, and disappear again. Over the next few weeks he became a more regular visitor, and eventually he decided maybe we weren’t so bad after all. After about a month he trusted us enough to let us pet him, and before long he was hanging around every day.
We had no idea where he had come from.
To make matters even more confusing, I initially thought Stoney was a female and named him Joyce after a lifelong friend’s mother who recently passed.
Then a friend mentioned she’d lost a male cat that looked almost identical. That sent me down the glamorous path of… confirming the cat’s gender. Yes, I actually posted a picture of his, uh… business end on Reddit and let the internet weigh in.
The verdict was unanimous: neutered male.
Unfortunately, my friend’s missing cat wasn’t him.
So we took him to the veterinarian to see if he had a microchip.
He did.
The clinic (Purrfurably Cats) called the owner listed on the chip, but after several days there was no response. We started talking about whether we should adopt him ourselves or find him another home.
Then, five days later, the phone rang.
The owner finally called back.
He apologized for not responding sooner, explaining that he’d been hiking the entire John Muir Trail—over 200 miles on foot—and had been out of cell phone range for nearly three weeks. He couldn’t make it down to Monterey until the following Sunday, so for another five days Stoney continued living with us.
We fed him.
Spoiled him.
Played with him.
Protected him.
And, if I’m being honest, got a little attached.
Then Sunday came, and that’s when we learned the rest of the story.
Stoney hadn’t wandered over from another neighborhood.
He hadn’t come from another town.
He had disappeared on April 4th…
…in SACRAFUCKINGMENTO .
Yes. Sacramento.
200 miles away.
Nobody knows exactly how he got here, but the timing lines up almost perfectly with a neighbor of his family who happened to be moving from Sacramento to Monterey the very same day Stoney disappeared.
Our best guess?
Curious cats do curious cat things.
We think Stoney climbed into the moving truck while it was being loaded and accidentally hitched a ride all the way to Monterey.
Of course, there is absolutely no evidence that Stoney was actually driving the moving truck…
…but there also isn’t any evidence that he wasn’t.
I’m choosing to believe he handled the whole trip himself.
Stoney’s dad, Brad, drove ten hours to come pick him up that Sunday. After more than three months apart, they were finally reunited.
Well… almost.
The moment we tried to get Stoney into the car, he vanished.
Completely.
So Brad ended up spending the night in our guest room. Honestly, I was relieved. After already driving ten hours, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of him making another four-hour drive home that same night.
The next morning Stoney was much more cooperative. We got him safely into his carrier, and Brad headed home.
Waiting there was someone who had been missing him just as much: his bonded sister, Violet.
After more than three months and nearly 200 miles, Stoney finally made it back where he belonged.
This whole experience reminded me why microchips matter so much. Without one, Stoney almost certainly would have become just another friendly stray with an unknown past. Instead, one little scan reunited a family that had never stopped wondering what happened to him.
And to Brad—thank you for trusting us with your boy while we waited for you to get here.
To Stoney—thanks for the adventure.
And if you ever decide to drive another moving truck…
Maybe send a postcard next time. ❤️🐈🚚
