What started as a cozy nap inside a boat four months ago [2016] resulted in an incredible journey for a Utah cat, which included a long trek across the Wasatch Mountains in an attempt to be reunited with a family that feared their beloved pet was dead.
Mittens, a black rescue cat with white paws, has been with the Flitton family of Mountain Green, Utah, since he was adopted as a kitten in 2012. Last May, Brandon Flitton, 42, dropped his boat off at a repair shop in Salt Lake City, 35 miles away, not realizing that Mittens had sneaked under the cover earlier to take a nap. When mechanics pulled off the cover, the cat jumped out and ran away.
“When we heard what had happened, we put signs up everywhere and went looking for him,” Cyndi Flitton, 43, tells PEOPLE. “We hoped that he’d recognize our voices and come running because he’s such a sociable, friendly cat.”
Cyndi tried to comfort her daughter, Allison, 14, by telling her that Mittens had probably found a good home with a family in the neighborhood near the boat shop.
“But I figured he was gone forever,” says Allison, “and I worried about him a lot. I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.”
Mittens, though, had other ideas.
An outdoor cat with a love for hunting mice and voles and leaving them on the Flittons’ porch as “tokens of love,” Mittens was discovered last month in Alice Puleo’s yard in Park City, Utah, 32 miles east of the boat shop.
“I was unloading groceries and this cat came down the pathway and announced that he was hungry in no uncertain terms,” says Puleo, 60. “He was very skinny and looked a little beat up. He needed some love and attention.”
After taking the cat in, “he ate constantly for four days and slept on a deck chair outside,” Puleo tells PEOPLE. “I made calls and put up signs, but nobody responded. So finally, I decided to take him in to my vet.”
Carl Prior, a veterinarian with the Park City Animal Clinic, scanned Mittens and discovered he had a microchip with the Flittons’ phone number.
“I was stunned — I couldn’t believe it,” says Cyndi when she received a call from Dr. Prior. “How in the world did he end up in Park City?”
Prior told her that he believed the cat had walked, crossing several mountains in the process.
Stella's Place 
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What a wonderful story for Caturday! Mittens’ love for family kept him going. He chose a certain person to be his rescuer when he finally realized he wasn’t going to make it all the way home…and the rest is history. What a great and dignified looking boy, too.
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He looks like he’s so content. Lucky boy!
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Woman Quits Her Job And Sails Around The World With Her Rescue Cat
https://www.boredpanda.com/sailing-cat-travelling-world-liz-clark/
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Sam Moore and his feline friend take in a stunning South Dakota sunset on the dock of Prairie Sky Game Ranch located in Veblen. Photo courtesy of Prairie Sky Game Ranch and Guest Lodge.
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What a sweet story. I’m glad he made it back home.
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Yes, I’m an Abyssinian. Why do you ask?
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That sorta looks likes Miss Shadewater Lacey Buttercup McFluffy at the moment! She has been shorn down to nothing, and they just left her whiskers, her feet. and a puff at the end of her tail! She’s all eyes! She is such a tiny wee thing, only 7 1/2 pounds. But she feels good. She’s been running around like a wild thing. She sure needed a haircut!
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They said they took off 3 pounds of hair!
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Teh cat models a skill that is necessary for humans, because of the time when people ask, “So how are ya?” – the last thing they actually expect is an authentic answer. Teh cat’s presentation is perfect!.
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Apparently I hadn’t decided on a percentage to mention. “because _____% of the time….” so, not wanting to exaggerate, shall we say 75%?
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One of my neighbors, an older gentleman, when asked that question always says the same thing. He has also realized that people don’t really want to know, so he just simply says, “can’t complain, no one would listen anyway”
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I say that too.
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My automatic reply is, “Pretty good, pretty good. How’re you doing?”
The inquiry is merely a social politese, not meant to be taken literally anyway.
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My father would say something like, “I’m still on top of the dirt.”
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Butters The Bean YouTube Channel
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He wants his breakfast, now!
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