Cat reunited with Queens family almost 10 years after disappearing

A cat who disappeared nearly a decade ago in Queens has been reunited with his owners.

Danielle Schultz says she will never lose track of her beloved Smokey again.

Lost cat found 30 miles away from home

Back in 2016, the Schultz family was traveling and left Smokey with a relative in Glendale, Queens. That's when he disappeared.

"I felt it was a lost cause," Schultz said.

It turns out Smokey somehow traveled 30 miles and ended up in Babylon, Long Island.

"I have no idea how he got that far, but the animal shelter told me that it's not that uncommon for cats to travel long distances," Schultz said.

An elderly woman in Babylon found Smokey and took him in, apparently thinking he was a stray. When she died years later, her son brought Smokey to the Babylon Town Animal Shelter to give him up for adoption.

"We found the cat to have a microchip number," Babylon Town Animal Shelter Director Chris Elton said.

"I was like, this can't be real!"

Companies like Home Again, which managed Smokey's chip, and the American Kennel Club allow pet owners to register their chips for about $20, so that if their pet is lost, an animal shelter has a way of finding out who the owners are and contacting them.

Elton and the chip company emailed Schultz.

"'We have good news. We found your cat Smokey with microchip number whatever,'" Schultz said. "And I was like, this can't be real!"

"After so much time, it's very unusual," Elton said.

Smokey is now back home with Schultz and her children.

"My son remembers Smokey. He was like 4 years old when he went missing and he never forgot the cat," Schultz said. "And my daughter, she's 7, so she wasn't even born yet."

"Happy day for us, and happy day for Smokey," Elton said.

"I like to think he remembers me, but you know, who knows?" Schultz said. "He's made himself right at home."