‘Hitchhiking cat:’ A missing cat found in Bettendorf is reunited with her family in Montana

BETTENDORF, Iowa (KWQC) - A missing cat’s incredible journey brought strangers together in the most unexpected way.

The story began in June 2023 when a couple traveling cross-country stopped in Bettendorf and heard faint meowing from their truck. Unable to locate the sound’s source, they brought the vehicle to Ace Auto Doctor & Repair.

“They knew something was going on. They couldn’t find the cat. So that’s what brought them here. They just google searched us and found us,” said Niki Dahl, the main service advisor at the shop.

Dustin Goff, the shop manager and owner, discovered the cat trapped in the vehicle’s frame.

“He was in the back passenger corner of the car, kind of on the fuel tank, and she did not want to come down. It took a couple of us to get her out of there,” Goff said.

After freeing the cat, Goff couldn’t bear to send it to a shelter.

“It was so friendly. I just didn’t want to send it to the Humane Society, because once I got it out of there, it kind of like cuddled up with me and wouldn’t leave me alone. So rather than send it to the Humane Society, I decided I was going to take it out to my farm, and it was going to live with my farm with me,” Goff shared.

Months later, during a vet visit, a microchip revealed the cat’s connection to a family in Montana. The cat had gone missing from the girl’s grandfather’s home in Nebraska, where it had been staying while the family was on a short trip to New York.

The cat belongs to the family’s little girl, Neji, who is living with Cerebral Palsy and had been missing her best friend for over a year and a half.

“It’s kind of special for me. Because of the bond my granddaughter has with the cat and the come across it after that long I was just beside myself. I couldn’t believe it and I couldn’t get in the car fast,” said Niji’s grandfather, Richard Tolsted.

Tolsted traveled to Bettendorf on Friday, November 22 to pick up the cat from the auto shop.

“We haven’t told her. I wanted her to see the cat. I didn’t want to tell her because I didn’t know how soon I could get there or anything, and so I’m just going to show up there in a few hours and, and tell her we got a gift for her,” said Tolsted.

The family adopted the cat at an event in Salt Lake City, Utah, where 400 pets found homes. They named her Utah after the state.