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Missing cat turns up 3 years after Montecito mudslide

Montecito Disaster-Cat Found
Montecito Disaster-Cat Found
Montecito Disaster-Cat Found
Posted at 6:14 PM, Jan 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-12 21:20:41-05

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — A pet cat believed killed along with her owner in a huge mudslide has been found alive three years later.

The Animal Shelter Assistance Program (ASAP) in Santa Barbara County says the calico named Patches was brought in last month and a microchip scan revealed her identity.

Patches had been missing since Jan. 9, 2018, when a rainstorm on the burn scar of the Thomas Fire sent a debris-laden torrent crashing down through hillside neighborhoods of Montecito. Twenty-three people were killed, including cat owner Josie Gower.

The ASAP shelter says Patches was reunited with Gower’s partner, Norm Borgatello, on New Year’s Eve.