Stray Cat Escapes Animal Shelter After Being Neutered, Then Walks Nearly 3 Miles Back to His Community

“When I returned to pick him up, I was met with a scene straight out of an old prison break movie,” George the cat’s friend’s wrote

A cat couldn’t wait to get home to his friends — literally!

George, a backyard community cat who took up residence at the Loma Verde complex in Lakeland, Florida, grew impatient after getting neutered at the local SPCA and wandered nearly three miles back home, according to a press release shared with us on Monday, May 19.

Per the release, the cat’s friends — residents at the complex — often cared for George, giving him food and a comfortable place to rest. But every morning, the residents found the cat in a disheveled state, appearing as if he’d been prowling all night.

They then decided to get George neutered — a service offered to backyard cats by the local SPCA — “hoping it might slow him down a bit.”

“But when I returned to pick him up, I was met with a scene straight out of an old prison break movie,” the residents wrote in the press release. “Somehow, George — tough, stubborn, and full of fight — had busted out of his cage and disappeared into the dense woods behind SPCA Florida.”

It’s only about 2.7 miles between the SPCA and Loma Verde, but for a cat it’s a substantial and complex route. George had to cross busy streets, navigate around Lake Victoria and pass by other dangers to get home.

The SPCA set live traps and kept a close watch for George, as did the Loma Verde residents.

“Every day, I returned, my eyes scanning the tree line, hoping for a glimpse of his familiar, swaggering strut,” they wrote. “At night, I left boxes of food out, calling his name into the darkness, hoping the old boy would hear my voice and find his way back.”

But on a recent Sunday morning, the residents woke up to a familiar sight: George, lounging on his favorite chair inside their carport, “looking like he had just returned from a grand adventure.” He had lost a bit of weight and was “clearly hungry,” but otherwise, their dear cat appeared healthy.

“After a hearty meal and a good brushing, George settled down for the kind of long nap only a cat who has crossed roads, skirted lakes and dodged countless dangers can truly appreciate,” they wrote.