Willow the Cat and Other Pets Who Survived Long Journeys

Willow the cat has been in the media spotlight this week after she was found in New York City, nearly 2,000 miles and five years after she went missing from her home in Boulder, Colo. Willow was reunited with her family Thursday while she was a guest on the Anderson Cooper show in New York.

It's an incredible story with a happy ending, and it's unlikely we'll ever find out how this adventurous cat made her way from the mountains of Colorado to the skyscrapers of the Big Apple. It was fortunate that her owners back in the Rocky Mountain state had her microchipped as a kitten; her family would have forever thought their calico kitty met with a tragic ending.

As it was, a man in Manhattan found her wandering the streets and brought her into the animal shelter where they were able to identify the wayward cat and contact the Squire family in Boulder. But what happened all of those years? Did Willow travel all the way to the city to become a big star, or did she just decide to become a wandering kitty? We'll probably never know.

It makes me wonder about all the other missing cats that don't have any identification. How many miles have other felines journeyed that we're unaware of?

My favorite Disney film of all time is "Incredible Journey," the story of two dogs and a cat who travel hundreds of miles through the Canadian wilderness, facing many dangerous obstacles along the way and ultimately making it back home to their owners and a happy reunion. The story of animals traveling long distances isn't just a tale; it's real for Willow, and there are other stories like hers.

Other Real-Life "Incredible Journeys"

A dachshund named Tootsie went missing from his family's yard in Pleasantville, N.J., when he was just six months old. His family thought they would never see him again but, because of a microchip, he was discovered in Pittsburgh on the streets five years and 360 miles later and returned home.

A Florida dog, Max the Maltese, was found 1,200 miles away from his West Palm Beach home all the way in Chicago after having been missed for several months, according to The Associated Press.

In the United Kingdom, a cat named Sampson traveled 500 miles from Midlothian, Scotland, all the way to Plymouth in the southwest of England. The tabby was missing for over a year before his owner, Linda Jansen, received a phone call that he'd been found.

Willow's story might take the prize for the longest and most arduous journey yet. Though she is getting her 15 minutes of fame now, she will likely be a star in her family's home for many years to come. If only she could talk -- imagine the crazy adventures she would have to tell.