Cat saved by homeless man to be reunited with family
Mata Hairi will be returned to her owners after spending 10 months hitchhiking with a homeless man. Photo courtesy of Dylan Brown/Independent Record.
PORTLAND -- A cat named Mata Hairi will be reunited with her family after spending 10 months and 3,600 miles traveling with a homeless man.
Mata's adventure started when she left her house in Portland, Ore., on a rainy night. She was rescued by Michael King, a homeless man who found her under a cafe table, according to the Independent Record.
He took her with him as he traveled to Montana and nursed her back to health. It was there that he took her to a vet for a checkup who found the microchip and located the owner of the cat.
The cat's owner is excited and planning a party for Mata's return.
But it's going to be an emotional farewell for King.
"It's going to be a sad day," he said. "I'm homeless. Depression is a big thing out there. The cat was a rainbow in a dark world."
"My pack will be 20 pounds lighter, but a big hole, a big hole," he said.