"How did she get down there?" Midwest cat takes off on unlikely trip to Florida

SHEBOYGAN -- A missing family member still has eight more lives today. It's a story of a kitty on a trip, now found -- thanks to a microchip.

Nadia

"Nadia," is a two-year-old Russian blue cat who was rescued by Cheri Stocker and her husband late last year.

"She was just the prettiest cat. I've never had a cat that's as pretty as her," said Cheri.

Nadia is an indoor car with a sense of adventure.

"It was Christmas Eve morning and it was windy and my husband had gone to take the garbage out and unfortunately the door blew open and she got out," said Cheri.

Nadia ran out the garage door heading north, but she ended up south.

Nadia

"It's pretty amazing to see how far she had come," said the Florida woman who found her.

Nearly 1,500-miles away from Sheboygan, Wisconsin -- all the way to sunny Naples, Florida.

"It was like, How could that be? How did she get down there?" said Cheri.



The folks in Florida took Nadia to the local humane society to check for a microchip and sure enough, they discovered she was very far from home.

Nadia

"The microchip is a must. You may think that you pet is an indoor pet but if they slip out, that microchip could save them," said Cheri.

A flight attendant heard about Nadia's story and offered to fly her back to the Midwest. On Thursday, Bruce and Cheri Stocker reunited with Nadia at the Rockford Airport.

"We missed her," said Cheri.

Cheri & Nadia

And it seems Nadia missed them.

"She just wants to be cuddled, that's all she wants to do," said Cheri.

They're back home now, back inside where Cheri says she'll stay.

"Glad to be home," said Cheri.

There's just one burning question on everyone's mind: How did she get all the way to Florida? And that, unfortunately, we will likely never know.

However, the Stocker's would like to thank everyone involved in bringing Nadia home.

Other than a dirty coat, Cheri says Nadia has received a clean bill of health from the vet at her latest checkup.