A cat and its owners were reunited Saturday at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus after the animal had been missing since April.
Kim Salls and her wife Jill MacDonald, who live in St. Louis, Missouri, were visiting a home they own in Rancho Mirage with their two cats, two English bulldogs and a Brussels griffon when one of their cats, Dale, 3 years, Dragon went missing on April 10, according to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.
The Rancho Mirage home has a backyard with six-foot walls, so the couple believed their pets were safe and secure. However, Salls said he believes the sprinkler system turned on and scared Dale so much that he jumped over the wall.
“We went everywhere looking for him,” Salls said. “We put up signs on our street. We put up signs on other streets,” she added.
Salls and MacDonald wanted to continue their search for Dale, but MacDonald needed to return to Missouri for another round of chemotherapy for his stage 4 cancer.
On May 11, Dale showed up at the Rancho Mirage home of Max Zien and Jilli Joffee, who offered him water after he ran and climbed onto Joffee’s leg.
“He was so sweet and kind and friendly,” Joffee said.
The couple thought the cat belonged to someone nearby, so Joffee let it wander back to their home, but it showed up again a week later and began camping out in the backyard, shelter officials said.
On June 4, the couple decided to take Dale to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms, where they discovered the microchip information and contacted the chip company.
A CVAC employee asked Zien and Joffee if the cat could remain in their care until the owner was contacted and a meeting could take place, to which the couple agreed.
“Even our three dogs loved him. I’m so happy to hear he’s reuniting with his family,” Joffee added.
Riverside County Animal Services officials say the couple’s willingness to help highlights the importance of the Pet Support program, which began in June 2023 and involves the county providing resources to those who need assistance to avoid pet surrenders, and community members helping the county, such as Zien and Joffee.
Approximately 6,000 pets were diverted from county shelters thanks to help from community members and county staff who provided resources to pet owners, officials said.
Salls and MacDonald said they are looking forward to fattening up Dale Dragon after seeing photos of him looking thinner.
“He weighed about 15 pounds – he looked like a big, fat raccoon. It appears he is alone, fending for himself,” Salls added.
Dale Dragon was nicknamed after the character John C. Reilly in the 2008 comedy “Stepbrothers.”
