After almost two years of searching for her beloved cat, a woman never gave up hope. Yesterday she finally found her best friend of 12 years.
Iris Samaniego's beloved cat, Diego, had gone missing since June 2015. The flame-point Siamese has been with her for 12 years.
The day he went missing, Diego, the indoor cat, sneaked out through the garage while Iris' father was visiting. "I posted signs everywhere for over a year," Iris told Love Meow.
But there was no sign of Diego, and everyone thought he was gone forever except Iris, who refused to give up hope.
"I was at work and in between patients, I'm a vet tech, something told me to look on animal friends of the valley website which is odd for me."
She went on the website and saw a very familiar face. "I saw his picture and left work as fast I could."
When Iris and her sister, Crystal Sanmann, saw the cat at the shelter, they knew right away it was him.
"The moment I saw him I felt indescribable joy, I felt peace and overwhelmed because I knew he wasn't dead. My intuition always told me he was alive," Iris told Love Meow.
Never has there been a day that Iris thought about giving up. Even when her family told her to let go, she kept looking.
Before Diego went missing, the two were completely inseparable.
"Never give up on finding your animals. This is the best Christmas present she could have received," Crystal said.
Watch the heart warming reunion in this video:
Diego is so happy to be back in his loving home. "He was stressed at the shelter but once we got him he is totally back to his old self."
Iris' children grew up with Diego. When they returned from school, they were surprised to see who was back.
"After almost two long years I found my 13 year old cat! I can't tell you how much joy this has brought our family," Iris said.
Since the day Diego went missing, she never had a thought of giving up. "I found him! The kids literally cried with joy."
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