National

Family donates recliner to thrift store without knowing their cat was hiding inside it

An orange cat named Montequlla was hiding inside a recliner when it was donated to a Colorado thrift store, according to a Denver Animal Shelter Facebook post on Jan. 4, 2022. The family picked up the cat from the shelter when they realized their pet was missing.
An orange cat named Montequlla was hiding inside a recliner when it was donated to a Colorado thrift store, according to a Denver Animal Shelter Facebook post on Jan. 4, 2022. The family picked up the cat from the shelter when they realized their pet was missing. Denver Animal Shelter

A Colorado thrift shop was in for a surprise when a family donated their tan recliner.

An orange cat named Montequlla was hidden inside the chair when her family dropped the piece of furniture off on New Year’s Eve.

Photos posted by Denver Animal Shelter on Tuesday, Jan. 4, show the cat inside the bottom of the chair.

The thrift shop then called Denver Animal Protection to remove the house pet.

But the cat’s microchip wasn’t updated when an officer tried scanning it, the post said.

Montequlla’s family was looking for her and called the thrift shop then Denver Animal Protection. Within three hours, the family was reunited with their cat, the animal agency’s officer Jenna Humphreys told McClatchy News.

Humphreys said it’s common for cats to hide during stressful times, such as when someone is moving, packing for a trip or bringing a new cat into the home.

But it’s the first time the agency has responded to a call of an animal hiding in a donated item, Humphreys said.

She advised pet owners to keep their microchips updated before an animal gets lost and to make sure they are wearing updated tags. If a pet does get lost, she recommended retracing your steps and calling animal shelters.

“We are so happy for the ending to this story and are thankful to everyone involved in getting this sweet cat home safely,” the shelter said.

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This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Family donates recliner to thrift store without knowing their cat was hiding inside it."

Helena Wegner
McClatchy DC
Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.
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