Cat lost during Montecito mudslides returned to family in bizarre coincidence

MONTECITO, Calif. (KABC) -- In an unusual turn of events, a Montecito family was finally reunited with their beloved cat Diamond that had been missing for 475 days.

The Storgoff family was forced to suddenly evacuate their home during the catastrophic Montecito mudslides in 2018. While evacuating, they realized they couldn't locate their two cats. After returning days later to assess the damage, their two cats were nowhere to be found.

Noelle Strogoff said on Tuesday she told a local contractor about her missing cats. The man, who was helping with her home's reconstruction, asked to see photos and quickly told her he had been feeding a cat that looked just like one of Noelle's pets.

It turned out the cat was in fact Diamond, who is now reunited with her family.

The family's other cat remains missing.