Cat Stuck in a Recliner That Was Donated to a Thrift Store Was Reunited With Family

• A cat has been reunited with its owners after it got stuck in a recliner that was donated to a thrift store.
• The family didn’t know that Montequlla had tucked himself away in the armchair.
• Staff at the shop found and called the Denver Animal Shelter to come and pick him up.

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A family cat was reunited with his owners after he was found stuck in a donated recliner at a Colorado thrift store.

The Denver Animal Protection (DAP) received a call from the Denver Arc Store on New Year’s Eve. The shop informed the animal rescue center about the cat discovered hiding in the reclining armchair.

The family dropped off the recliner at the thrift store without knowing their cat Montequlla was inside.

Tammy Vigil with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment told KUSA that the store’s staff heard the Montequlla meowing after the owners left.

“Sure enough, there’s a recliner out front, and there’s a little orange tabby stuck inside,” DAP officer Jenna Humphreys, who responded to the call, told KMGH. “Very friendly, couldn’t get out. They [store staff] said that they had noticed the meowing shortly after somebody had dropped it off.”

Jenna lured the cat out of the recliner and tried tracking its owners through a microchip. Unfortunately, his microchip hadn’t been updated.

Montequlla’s owners were frantically searching for him. When they realized he might be hiding in the donated recliner, they drove back to the thrift store. Store employees put them in contact with DAP.

Jenna said that stressful events — like moving — can often cause pets to seek shelter in odd places.

“Oftentimes, when we have a stressful event like that, we know that animals can seek hiding spots. So, this one just happened to pick the recliner that they were going to donate to Arc,” said Jenna. “It’s not uncommon for us to be called to help remove animals from those situations, but this was a new one.”

Montequlla’s family was “absolutely thrilled” and relieved to have him back.

Jenna said, “The owners were crying with joy to have their cat returned.”

DAP posted the reunion photos on Facebook, and said, “We are so happy for the ending to this story and are thankful to everyone involved in getting this sweet cat home safely.”

Source: People