Five years ago a calico cat named Willow disappeared from a home near the Rocky Mountains. She was found on a street in Manhattan on Wednesday and returned to a family in which two of the three kids and one of the two dogs may remember her, The Associated Press reported.

It is still a mystery how Willow ended somewhere that's nearly 1,800 miles away. It is also unknown the type of life she's been living in the city since.

It was microchip implanted in Willow when she was a kitten that led her whereabouts. The cat will be reunited in Colorado with her owners, who The AP said had long ago given up hope.

To be honest, there are tons of coyotes around here, and owls, said Jamie Squires, of Boulder, Colo. She was just a little thing, five and a half pounds. We put out the 'Lost Cat' posters and the Craigslist thing, but we actually thought she'd been eaten by coyotes.

But Squires got a call on Wednesday from Animal Care & Control, which runs New York City's animal rescue and shelter system, leaving them shocked.

Willow was found on East 20th Street by a man who took her to a shelter.

My husband said, 'Don't say anything to the kids yet. We have to make sure,' Squires said, according to the AP. But then we saw the picture, and it was Willow. It's been so long.

The Squires family said all their pets are microchipped.

Squires said Willow escaped in late 2006 or early 2007 when contractors left a door open during a home renovation.

New York New York