Cat saved by homeless man travels 3,600 miles with him, will return to family

A cat who left her Portland, Oregon home on a rainy night ten months ago will finally be returning to her family. On Tuesday, June 18, KCPQ 13 News reported that the cat, named Mata Hairi, will be reunited with her family after traveling 3,600 miles with the homeless man who saved her.

The Independent Record reported that the cat left her Portland, Ore. house on a rainy night and never made it back. She was later rescued by a homeless man named Michael King.

For a homeless man, a cat isn't the most convenient companion, but King saw that this little animal needed his help. When King found Mata, she was in poor shape.

"I didn’t pick her up because I wanted a cat. I saved her life," King explained.

One of her eyes was puffy from fighting and he helped nurse her back to health. King then took the cat with him on a 3,600 mile journey.

When he traveled to Montana, he took her to a veterinarian who found the cat's microchip and located her owner.

Continued

Pet Lions, Tigers, and Bears: Should They Be Microchipped?

Many pet owners use microchips to ensure that if their animals are lost or stolen, they can be found. It’s a technology that has been used by humane societies, rescue groups, and clinics.

But what about exotic pets? Should tigers or lions be chipped?

The epicenter of this debate is Ohio, where four exotic animal owners have filed a lawsuit against the Ohio Department of Agriculture and its director David Daniels claiming that a new law which would mandate them to microchip exotic animals violated their First Amendment and personal property rights.

Represented by Attorney Robert Owens, Captive Born Reptiles’ owner Terry Wilkins, USDA-inspected Stump Hill Farm’s owner Cyndi Huntsman,  Paws and Claws Animal Sanctuary owner Mike Stapleton, and Sean Trimbach of the USDA-licensed Best Exotics LLC, were successful in delaying the enforcement of the new law until a hearing in mid-December. 

According to a Columbus clerk in the United States District Court of the Southern District of Ohio, a restraining order was also filed on November 6 and a conference is scheduled to meet November 28.  The clerk couldn’t comment on the details of the restraining order.

With all the exotic animal headlines since the tragic 2011 Zanesville, Ohio incident, it seems human rights would be less of an issue in this lawsuit; however, by “a violation of personal property rights,” the exotic animal owners mean that their animals will face health risks due to microchipping, which is lithium-based in Ohio because the state does not have readers to detect non-lithium chips. 

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