Long-Awaited Reunion of Family and Lost Cat
Amber Davidson-Orozco shared that her family lost their cat Dodger during their move out of California.
A family cat who went missing during a cross-country move in the United States is now reportedly readjusting to life with his owners at their new residence in Georgia, following an extraordinary reunion more than seven years after his disappearance.
Owner Amber Davidson-Orozco stated in an interview on Wednesday that Dodger still responds to his name and allows her sons to playfully flip him over their shoulders, despite the lengthy separation which, in the cat's terms, equated to roughly 24 years.
"Oh, he’s there. That super sweet, cuddly, social temperament is still there," Davidson-Orozco remarked about Dodger. Referring to her sons Schylar and Zachary, who were approximately eight and five years old respectively at the time, and had lost their father when Dodger disappeared, she added that the cat’s return felt like a piece of their childhood had come back, saying: "That’s important."
National Attention and the Importance of Microchipping
Dodger’s return to Davidson-Orozco’s family has attracted national media coverage in recent weeks. Beyond providing an emotional uplift amid intense news cycles, the story has also highlighted the critical role of microchipping pets, as Dodger’s microchip was instrumental in facilitating his eventual reunion with his family.
Background: Adoption and Loss
Dodger was adopted by Davidson-Orozco’s family from Miss Winkles Pet Adoption Center in Clovis, California, in 2016. Named after the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team supported by the family, Dodger quickly became an integral member of the household, Davidson-Orozco recounted.
Tragically, the father of Davidson-Orozco’s children passed away unexpectedly near the end of 2018. Subsequently, the family decided to relocate to Florida. Davidson-Orozco entrusted a friend with the task of moving Dodger along with their belongings to the new home. However, Dodger escaped from the friend’s vehicle and was not seen again for a significant period.
"We always thought about him" during the following years and wondered about his fate, said Davidson-Orozco, whose family later moved to Calhoun, Georgia, north of Atlanta. "It was like that one thing you keep thinking about."
Discovery and Rescue in California
In February, a resident of Madera, California—approximately 31 miles from Clovis—found a stray cat matching Dodger’s description and brought him to Fresno Trap and Release (TNR) for neutering and vaccination. Veterinarians soon discovered that the cat had already been neutered and was microchipped. A scan of the microchip confirmed that the cat belonged to Davidson-Orozco’s family.
Sydney Sherman, who operates Fresno TNR with her mother, contacted Davidson-Orozco regarding Dodger. Sherman, who was scheduled to fly to Florida in late March for a wedding, offered to bring Dodger with her if Davidson-Orozco wished.
"His family was so excited," Sherman wrote on a social media post, noting that she shared videos and pictures of Dodger with Davidson-Orozco and conducted FaceTime calls with her household.
Journey Back Home
Sherman described her feelings as "freaking out" because she had never flown with a cat before, but the trip proceeded smoothly. Davidson-Orozco’s family drove seven hours from Calhoun to meet Sherman at 5 a.m. to reunite with their beloved pet.
Sherman said parting with "the handsome, talkative" Dodger was difficult because he had endeared himself to everyone at Fresno TNR during his stay. Nonetheless, she wrote that the organization was "very happy to finally have him home where he belongs with his boys."
Family's Gratitude and Healing
Davidson-Orozco expressed gratitude to Sherman and her team for their dedication to Dodger and her family, who were more than 2,300 miles away from Clovis.
She said reuniting with Dodger and discovering in the weeks following that he remained just as they remembered him brought a measure of healing during a challenging period in her and her sons’ lives.
"It’s full circle – losing all your stuff and belongings while having to move, losing your dad, and you get this back," Davidson-Orozco said. "It seems silly – like it’s just a silly cat. But to the kids and I, it’s different – and it’s because of the timing."
Advocacy for Pet Microchipping
Davidson-Orozco urged pet owners to microchip their animals if they have not done so already.
"When you get an animal, you’re obviously not thinking of anything going wrong or anything like that," she said. "But things happen. Situations happen."
