A calico cat named Patches had belonged to Josie Gower, one of the 23 people killed in the mudslides that hit Santa Barbara, Calif., in January 2018. Patches was thought to have died too. We had kinda lost hope, Briana Haigh, Gower s daughter, told NPR. Her mom s several cats had slept in her garage, which was destroyed during the disaster.
But in December, Patches was found alive and roaming around the same area she disappeared in. It s a nice thing to hear that, after that many years, you can get a little bit of joy out of something that was quite horrific, Haigh said.
In California: State offers vaccines to all 65+; EDD fraud is worse than thought Winston Gieseke, USA TODAY
I m Winston Gieseke, philanthropy and special sections editor for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, with the latest California news on this Wednesday.
In California brings you top Golden State stories and commentary from across the USA TODAY Network and beyond. Get it free, straight to your inbox.
California offers COVID-19 vaccines to people 65 and over
The move puts seniors in line along with emergency workers, teachers, childcare providers and food and agriculture workers even as counties complain they already don’t have enough doses to go around.
Missing cat turns up 3 years after California disaster
The shelter says Patches, who has been missing since Jan. 9, 2018, was found less than a quarter-mile from where her Montecito home stood.
Credit: AP
This photo provided by Animal Shelter Assistance Program (ASAP) in Santa Barbara County shows Patches being reunited with a family friend Norm Borgatelloat Animal Shelter Assistance Program on Dec. 31, 2020. (Jillian Title/Animal Shelter Assistance Program via AP) Author: Associated Press Updated: 4:07 AM MST January 14, 2021
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. A pet cat believed killed along with her owner in a huge mudslide has been found three years later.
The Animal Shelter Assistance Program in Santa Barbara County says the calico named Patches was brought in as a stray last month and a microchip scan revealed her identity.