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When Denise Cilley's cat went missing from their home in Maine back in 2015, she did not think the indoor pet would survive the wilderness.
But in January, the estranged tabby, whose name is Ashes, was found in Florida of all places.
Although it is not clear how the animal made the 1,400-mile trip down the eastern coast, the grey cat has thankfully been returned to her owner.
Cilley, who adopted the cat from an animal shelter back in 2014, got a phone call explaining that a feline with a microchip registered to her had turned up in Florida.
Explaining to the local news outlet WGME-TV, she said she was initially confused when she received the call: "I'm like, 'Well how old is this cat?' 'Pretty old.' I'm like, 'I've been missing a cat for six and a half years,'"
"Then my daughter heard me talking on the phone and was like, 'Is it Ashes, is she alive?' and yes, she is."
Ashes reportedly had a few health conditions, according to Patch.com, including an upper respiratory infection, dental disease, missing teeth, and a scabby coat.
However, the long lost pet was able to travel back to Maine thanks to Cilley making contact with an animal advocate called Janet Williams, whom she met through a mutual friend.
Williams who fostered the pet told the publication: "She bounced back quickly, though. She has a good coat, a good body weight, and a good disposition.
"She is incredibly sweet. She wants to be brushed, which is unusual for cats, but she loves to be combed."
More than $1,800 was raised to reunite the cat with her owner and pay for medical expenses and the tabby was able to fly home after Williams found a generous Southwest employee who took the pet on a day off.
Cilley told Patch.com that remarkably Ashes still makes the same squeak sound she did as a youngster, revealing: "She has a squeaky little meow and always did, though at the time I figured it was because she was a kitten."
But what is still a mystery is how the animal managed to make the long journey from Maine to Florida.
Cilley says: "We have no idea. Maybe somebody found her in Maine, thought she was a stray, took her in and moved to Florida, and she got out and couldn't find her way home."
"I wish she could talk," she added.
