Cat journeys from Wisconsin to Naples, owner shocked

NAPLES, Fla.- If only Nadia the Russian Blue cat could speak, she’d be able to explain how she made a cross-country trek thousands of miles from her home in Sheboygan, Wisconsin all the way to Southwest Florida.

The journey was a surprise to everyone, including her owners, the Stocker family in snowy Sheboygan.

“It’s pretty amazing, pretty shocking how far she had come. I mean if she could tell us stories,” said Michelle Richards, who took Nadia in after finding her.

Richards posted on social media to see if anyone recognized her and received nearly a hundred messages, with some people even claiming the cat as their own. But instead, Richards had Michelle Qualls pick the cat up and take her to Collier County Domestic Animal Services to have the microchip checked. When Animal Services scanned Nadia’s microchip, they discovered the incredible truth.

“At 7 o’ clock last night, I got a phone call from DAS saying ‘you’ll never believe this, thank you so much for bringing the cat in, this is why we do what we do,'” Qualls said.

From there, the pieces about Nadia’s winter-time journey fell into place with Animal Services contacting the Stockers.

“Christmas Eve day, which was a very windy day here in Sheboygan, our back door to the house blew open and the cat got out,” Cheri Stocker, Nadia’s owner. “We looked for her for days, it was the worst Christmas ever.”

After finding out her beloved cat was alive all along, Stocker remains clueless about how she managed to reappear two months later in the most unexpected of places.

“It’s like, how did she get there? And we have no clue,” Stocker said. “I would love to know how she hitched a ride to Florida.”

Though the answer may never be known, everyone involved is thrilled this cat tale will at least have a happy ending.