People.com Lifestyle Pets Cat Reunited with Owners After Living 10 Years as a Stray Oliver the cat traveled 37 miles from the suburbs to Chicago and found a friendly security to feed him By Kelli Bender Kelli Bender Kelli Bender is the Pets Editor for PEOPLE Digital and PEOPLE magazine. She has been with the PEOPLE brand for more than eight years, working as a writer/producer across PEOPLE's Lifestyle, Features, and Entertainment verticals before taking on her current role. Kelli is also an editor on PEOPLE's Stories to Make You Smile and serves as an editorial lead on PEOPLE's World's Cutest Rescue Dog Contest and Pet Product Awards. Before joining PEOPLE, Kelli helped AOL and Whalerock launch a pet lifestyle site called PawNation. She is a pet parent to a cat named Wallace, and her professional and personal devotion to animals has taken her to three dog weddings ... so far. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 30, 2018 05:35 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Oliver spent two years living a lavish domestic life with his loving family in Lake Zurich, Illinois. But one day 10 years ago, something caused him to disappear from suburban bliss. According to CBS Chicago, his family searched for him, but after finding nothing as the days turned into months, they started to believe that Oliver was hit by a car. In reality, the tabby cat somehow made it 37 miles to Chicago’s River North neighborhood. There, he eventually found a feline-friendly security guard who fed him while she was on the job for at least six years. When a local volunteer group dedicated to trapping, neutering/spaying and releasing feral cats heard about this supposed “friendly” feral, they picked him up and brought him in to PAWS Chicago animal shelter. A quick, routine scan revealed that Oliver had a microchip and a family that was looking for him. Can’t get enough of cats, dogs and other furry friends? Click here to get the cutest pet news and photos delivered directly to your inbox. On Monday, Laura Kleban was reunited with her cat. She was 17 the last time she held Oliver, but said he feels like he hasn’t lost any weight. This happy ending is just another reminder that microchipping should be essential to all pet owners.