In all likelihood, someone found this cat who was "lost" and picked it up. When they moved to California, the cat didn't like their new house and wandered until someone else picked it up - and took it to the shelter. The microchip is the only link between the original owners and the cat. The intermediate owners probably won't show up, now that it's all over the news - and now that they know they "kidnapped" someones kitty.

No matter how "personal" an attachment to an animal is, identification at the local shelter can be "iffy." Any animal that's been out on its own is likely to look no more like "itself" than half a dozen others there. I have known at least three or four (there's some uncertainty) instances where people "found their animal" at the shelter and took it back home, only to have another "their animal" show up at the back door a few days later. In one case they never did figure out which one was the "original." In a couple of other cases, they claimed they knew, but I'm not really convinced.

A friend who moved from Leavenworth KS to Wichita some years ago had a half-Lab mutt who went back to Leavenworth twice before they managed to convince him he lived in Wichita. Apparently, he walked the 197 miles (Rand McNally mileage table) each trip. Of course, this "puppy" was about 165 pounds of "bear," and could pretty much go wherever he wanted to without being bothered. He apparently made each of the two trips in about a day and a half.

Based on the experience of friends, and on my own, I've become a believer in identification marking of pets that you intend to keep. The chips weren't around when I got my present pup, but he has a nice tatoo - just to be certain. Most, but not all, shelters will look for a chip, but a distinctive visible marking makes it a lot easier to ask if your pet has been picked up if they don't. In my area, dogs at least are supposed to wear a tag to show that they've had their rabies vaccine, and the tags all have the vet's phone number, so if they don't lose the collar you have a good chance of getting a call when one is found.

John