Cat
Just a cat picture yours truly took, not the one from the story
Harriet the cat had disappeared from her Sanger, California home about 10 years ago. The owners had conducted a search in the neighborhood, searched through lost pets websites, did everything they could think of - but Harriet was nowhere to be found. They eventually had to accept that they would likely never see her again. And that way it stayed - until they go a call from Hayden Idaho. The caller informed them that a cat found in the street there was Harriet! Harriet had been microchipped and it was the chip that helped identify her. I bet plenty of people would love to ask her what she had been doing all that time and how she traveled from California to Idaho but in response all they are likely to hear is, "Meow!"
References
California cat missing for nearly a decade, found 1,000 miles away in North Idaho
Bill Buley, The Coeur d'Alene Press, 30 September 2022
It is a big surprise to find a cat alive after 10 years and 1000 km away.
If somebody fed her, it is not that surprising. I suspect she ended up climbing into a vehicle, or somebody took her there with them on purpose - it's not like she walked 1,000 miles (1,600 km) for some bizarre reason.