Dublin Cat Found at Casino in Reno

A cat from was found at the Circus Circus parking lot in Reno, Nevada on August 27, so the Washoe County Animal Control was called to take the cat to the shelter.

Not an unusual occurrence, as far as strays go, until the officer scanned the animal and discovered she was from Dublin, California.

The cat, named Ponyo, is owned by Devon Hayzlett of Dublin. Hayzlett lives in the housing in Dublin.

"She [Ponyo] was found on Monday, August 27 at Circus Circus," Bob Harmon of the Washoe County Sheriff's Office said. "The owner had seen the cat the night before but apparently she hides away and naps in cubbies so they may not have know she was missing for a long time. We think Ponyo rode in the neighbor's car. We are not sure where she was hiding in the car."

Harmon says Ponyo didn't just go to Reno, but that the cat stayed with the car for more than one stop.

"We were told the neighbors stopped for a few hours in Tahoe on the way to Circus Circus in Reno," commented Harmon.

Hayzlett says they did not believe the caller when they called about finding their cat in Nevada.

"We thought at first they were joking and then we started calling friends to figure out how she could get out there," said Hayzlett. "We found out one of our neighbors had gone to Tahoe and Reno. They have the same house we do but one street over. Ponyo often goes to their house and even scratches at their door. We think she crawled under the spare tire area of their car."

According to Harmon, Ponyo was wearing a collar with an identification tag along with being microchipped.

"When we find a pet we post it the 'pet harbor section' on our website," he said. "This case is a good remind to have your pet microchipped. In a situation like this, there would be no way a cat like this would be identified as being from California. Having them chipped could really pay off in the long run as pets sometimes like to roam. Hats off to the Hayzletts for having her identifiable."

Harmon says the cat's owner drove to Reno to pick the cat up the next day on the August 28.

"For the first few days she was pretty skittish but now she is doing much better," said Hayzlett.

The East Bay SPCA in Dublin