Minnesota woman gave up the search, then her cat was found alive after 40 days in Colorado

For more than a month, a cat named Fridge was missing in the Colorado wilderness after slipping away during a camping trip. Then, against the odds, she was found alive, and her owner made the long drive from Minnesota to bring her home.

The reunion came 40 days after Fridge disappeared at Great Sand Dunes National Park, turning a devastating road-trip mishap into a story of persistence and relief.

What happened?

According to People, the overnight stop at Great Sand Dunes came as Nakee Bullen, a tattoo artist from Isanti, Minnesota, traveled home from Los Angeles with her boyfriend and their two cats, Lewis and Fridge. They had planned to visit several national parks on the way back.

By the time Bullen woke up early the next morning, both cats were out of the tent.

"I woke up at about 5:30 a.m., 6 a.m., and both of them were gone," she told CBS Minnesota.

Lewis was later found near the campsite, but Fridge did not turn up. Bullen searched across campsites for more than seven miles before eventually returning home without her 3-year-old cat.

The search did not end once she left Colorado. Bullen continued checking Humane Colorado's lost-and-found pet pages, and 40 days after Fridge vanished, the cat was finally taken to the shelter.

Why does it matter?

Bullen said she never stopped looking, even after returning home to Minnesota.

"Every time I did it was the most heartbreaking thing," she told CBS of checking the shelter listings, per People. "You'd see cats that look a lot like her, but it wasn't her."

Animal shelters, rescue networks, and park staff can play an important role in reunions like this one. A lost pet recovery may seem like pure luck, but it often depends on people taking the time to report found animals and care for them until their families can be reached.

What can I do?

When traveling with pets, especially on camping trips, securing carriers, double-checking tent closures, keeping recent photos handy, and making sure identification is up to date can all help if an animal slips away.

Local shelters, animal control agencies, and lost-pet databases are all important places to monitor. Reporting a found animal quickly can reconnect a family after days — or even weeks — apart.

Once Fridge was located, Bullen made the roughly 16-hour trip to pick her up.

"She's a fighter," Bullen told People. "She's a certified baddie now. It was the most amazing feeling. It was just absolute tears of joy."

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