Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Revealed: The True Story of Willow the Cat

Stray was picked up on ski trip, flown to NYC

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 16, 2011 1:06 PM CDT

(Newser) – The mystery cat who took the media by storm this week isn’t such a mystery anymore: An alert reader of Gothamist wrote in to reveal the secret biography of Willow, who turned up in New York years after going missing in Colorado. Turns out the New York Times’ guess was right on the money: After the cat escaped her home in Boulder, a skier visiting Colorado “fell in love with her” and took her home on a plane to New York.

Eventually, however, Willow was taken to a shelter “by someone who loved her very much, but was unable to give her all the time and attention she deserves,” the tipster explains. At the shelter, she was identified and traced back to her original owners by her microchip. Soon, she’ll head back to her home in Boulder for the first time in five years. Click through for more on Willow.

Willow, a calico cat that went missing from her Colorado home during a renovation 5 years ago, stares out from a cage at her temporary home on Sept. 14 in New York's Animal Care and Control facility.
Willow, a calico cat that went missing from her Colorado home during a renovation 5 years ago, stares out from a cage at her temporary home on Sept. 14 in New York's Animal Care and Control facility.   (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Willow the celebrity cat.
Willow the celebrity cat.   (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
3%
11%
3%
73%
1%
8%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 10 comments
chefbob50
Sep 16, 2011 11:08 PM CDT
Cats want neither your time or attention unless it's time to eat or they say so...
LK789
Sep 16, 2011 6:14 PM CDT
There should be a law. After all, you can't do that with kids! heh
Cat-Lover
Sep 16, 2011 3:46 PM CDT
From my cat-loving viewpoint, all parties involved should be sent to Texas where they are to be arrested, tried and -- as is always the case there -- executed.
 

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne