SAN FRANCISCO — A gray cat living an extraordinary life of visits to the beach and trips to the lake went on his biggest adventure alone: traveling hundreds of miles from Wyoming to California.
How the feline named Rayne Beau — pronounced "rainbow" — made it home two months after getting lost in Yellowstone National Park during a summer camping trip remains a mystery.
Benny and Susanne Anguiano and their two cats arrived at Yellowstone's Fishing Bridge RV Park on June 4 for the cats' first trip to the forest.
Soon after they arrived, Rayne Beau was startled and ran into the nearby trees.
The couple looked for him for four days, even laying out his favorite treats and toys. When they finally had to drive back to Salinas, California, on June 8, Susanne Anguiano said she was crushed.
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But she never lost hope she would find him.
"We were entering the Nevada desert and all of a sudden I see a double rainbow. And I took a picture of it and I thought, that's a sign," she said. "That's a sign for our rainbow that he's going to be okay."
In August, the Anguianos received amazing news when a microchip company messaged them that their cat was at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Roseville, California — nearly 900 miles from Yellowstone, and only about 200 miles away from his home in Salinas.
Rayne Beau eats food provided by Alexandra Betts in August 2024 in Roseville, Calif.
A woman who first saw Rayne Beau wandering the streets of the northern California city fed him and gave him water until she trapped him on Aug. 3 and took him to the local SPCA.
The next day, the Anguianos drove to Roseville and picked up their cat, who had lost 6 pounds.
Rayne Beau in a carrier Aug. 4 after he was reunited with his family in Roseville, Calif.
"I believe truly that he made that trek mostly on his own. His paws were really beat up. Lost 40% of his body weight, had really low protein levels because of inadequate nutrition. So he was not cared for," Susanne Anguiano said.
The Anguianos still don't know how their cat got to Roseville but they believe he was trying to get home. They reached out to the media hoping to fill in the blanks.
Benny Anguiano said that besides microchipping their cats, they now also fitted two of them with air tags and Rayne Beau with a GPS global tracker.
The cats love traveling in the camper and looking out the big windows to see deer, squirrels and other animals. But the family is not ready to get on the road with their pets again anytime soon, he said.
"It was a very ugly feeling after we lost him," he said. "We'll have to practice camping at home and camp in the driveway to get him used to it."
The best high-tech gadgets for cat owners
1. Litter-Robot 4
The Litter-Robot 4 by Whisker is a little like a Roomba. One day, you’re baffled by the cost. The next, you’re wondering how you ever lived without it. The self-cleaning litter box costs $699 (yes, really), but it eliminates a daily chore every cat owner dreads.
The Litter-Robot 4 sifts out waste after every use, pushing clumps into a tightly sealed drawer to prevent odors. You can also view up-to-date stats about your cat’s litter box use and weight. Plus, it works for multi-cat households.
2. Tractive GPS Tracker Collar
Whether you have an escape artist or an indoor/outdoor cat, Tractive’s GPS collar helps you track your cat’s movements and keep them safe. The collar also records activity levels and notifies you with a health alert if your cat suddenly changes behavior. The tracker costs $49.99, and a basic subscription costs $13 per month, with discounts for annual billing.
3. Petcube Cat Monitoring Camera
Petcube is a $49.99 camera that allows you to monitor your cat while you’re away. The subscription plan starts at $5.99 per month. Subscriptions give you access to live streaming, 3-day video history, and smart alerts. If you want to interact with your cat while you’re gone, the Petcube Bites 2 Lite has 2-way audio and a treat dispenser.
4. Petlibro Dockstream App Monitoring Water Fountain
Keeping your cat hydrated doesn’t just give your fur baby more energy — it can also be crucial for preventing feline lower urinary tract and chronic kidney disease. The $79.99 Petlibro water fountain makes it easy to track your cat’s hydration levels with in-app reports and low water notifications. Running water is also more appealing to cats, motivating them to drink more.
5. SureFeed Microchip Feeder
If you have multiple pets, it can be tricky to keep them out of each others’ food. This automatic feeder from Sure Petcare is activated by your cat’s microchip or RFID collar tag, eliminating food stealing. At $199, SureFeed is pricey for an automatic feeder, but for pets on special diets, it can be a literal lifesaver.
