This used chair was definitely not pet hair-free.
Montequila, an orange tabby cat in Colorado, has been reunited with her family after they donated their recliner to a thrift store — with her inside.
Denver Animal Protection got a call on New Year’s Eve from the city’s Arc Thrift Store, where employees had discovered a meowing sound coming from a chair someone had dropped off at the shop.
“Sure enough, there’s a recliner out front, and there’s a little orange tabby stuck inside,” animal protection Officer Jenna Humphreys told The Denver Channel. “Very friendly, couldn’t get out. They said that they had noticed the meowing shortly after somebody had dropped it off.”
Meanwhile, the cat’s owners had become distraught after realizing Montequila was nowhere to be found. They eventually realized she must have stowed away in the chair, and they reached out to the thrift store, where the staff put them in touch with animal protection, the agency wrote on Facebook.
Humphrey said the owners were “so relieved” and “absolutely thrilled to have their cat back.”
The people had gotten rid of the chair while they were in the process of moving, which can be a stressful process for cats.
Humphrey said she and fellow officers are used to hearing about animals hiding in odd spots during events like a move, but “this was a new one.”
Though Montequila was unharmed, reclining chairs can be dangerous for cats. They can be seriously injured or even killed if they’re inside when someone operates the chair.