Hawaii ‘Fire Cat’ is Loving its New Montana Home

You've often heard me advocate for the use of microchipping to dramatically increase the chances you'll be reunited with a lost pet. especially during a disaster like wildfire.

This latest story of a Hawaii "fire cat" is one of the more dramatic examples.

It's a story that involves survivability, and reuniting a beautiful cat with her family, after they relocated to start a new life in Montana, following the devastating wildfires in Lahaina last summer.

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Adventure in a fire zone

Mahina, a colorful calico, was separated from her family when fire swept across the historic neighborhoods. The family decided to relocate to Montana after losing everything, including Mahina, in the fire.

However, she was later located by the Maui Humane Society, which has been working to save the hundreds of animals that were caught in the inferno with their operation "Fire Cat" program. Somehow, she miraculously survived 100 days in the fire zone before she was brought to the shelter by the MHS Fire Task Force.

When the chips are up

It didn't take long at all to identify Mahina's owners, thanks to their decision to have her microchipped, allowing the shelter to scan her. That allowed the Humane Society staff to contact the family. In a Facebook post, the shelter said they were "overjoyed" to hear the news.

Lots of people pitched in to get Mahina to her new home

MHS was able to transport Mahina to Montana (maybe that should be the name of the movie!). The Humane Society covered the cost of the health certificate and travel, with Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines making sure she was comfortable on the flight to Seattle. That's where a transporter picked Mahina up and drove her to an undisclosed location here in Montana.

Mahina is cozy now, even with the change in climate

Last week, MHS shared a follow-up from Mahina's owners, saying "She is a happy kitty and loves to play with her feather toy and watch TV with us. She stays strictly inside now, but since we are in Montana, she hasn't wanted to go outside because of the snow! She's so goofy and is so happy to be home with her parents!"

Microchipping your pet

Hopefully, you don't lose track of your pet in a fire, but even outside of a natural disaster, microchipping is smart and easy. The Humane Society of Western Montana can take care of inserting the tiny chip, which is about the size of a grain of rice, charging $20 for the service. You can learn more here.