“If you’ve ever lost a pet, you know how difficult it is.”
When Teagan Maddux got a late-night phone call while traveling in Colorado, her heart sank. Back home in San Diego, her beloved cat Moose had gone missing.
“Moose got accidentally let out by the dog, who opened the door from the outside — a complete freak accident,” Maddux explained in a TikTok video.
Without hesitation, Teagan booked a flight home the next morning.
“It sounds a little dramatic, but this could easily be one of the worst weeks of my life,” she said. “If you’ve ever lost a pet, you know how gut-wrenching it is.”
The making of an “adventure cat”
Maddux first met Moose when she was just a shy kitten at a Santa Cruz animal shelter. The little gray tabby had spent a month hiding from visitors, too scared to approach anyone — until Teagan came along.
“She was the scaredest cat in the whole place,” Maddux recalled.
But once home, Moose transformed. Her bold, playful personality bloomed — and soon, she was joining Teagan and her partner, Casey, on hikes, road trips, and camping adventures in their truck camper. The trio became inseparable.
The long search
When Moose vanished, Teagan and Casey dropped everything to find her. For 45 agonizing days, they searched nonstop — setting up humane traps, leaving food, familiar scents, and her litter box outside.
They even caught glimpses of her on trail cameras, watching helplessly as she crept close but never quite stepped inside.
“We’d see her on camera every few days,” Maddux said. “But never close enough to catch her.”
Days turned into weeks. Hope began to fade.
Then, on the night of Moose’s second birthday, everything changed.
A birthday miracle
The trap door finally closed. Inside, wide-eyed but alive, was Moose.
Teagan rushed outside, scooped her up, and brought her home. At first, Moose hissed and froze, unsure if she was safe. But then — recognition flickered in her eyes.
“After a minute, she snapped out of feral mode,” Teagan said. “She remembered us. She just started purring — nonstop.”
Back where she belongs
Moose was thinner and covered in fleas, but otherwise healthy. Most importantly, she was home — curled up in her favorite blanket, finally resting.
“Everything makes sense again,” Maddux said. “My little adventure cat is back where she belongs.”
After 45 long days of worry, Moose’s story ended the way every pet parent hopes — with love, relief, and a very happy reunion.