Inadvertent catnapper.

Oscar, a six-year-old cat owned by Salt Lake City, Utah, residents John and Christine Anselmi and their two small sons, has traveled cross-country with the family more than once. Recently, however, the seasoned feline sightseer took a trip that could have used up most, or all, of what remained of its nine lives were it not for the compassion of his inadvertent catnapper.

On September 11, after a moving van delivered furniture to a neighbor's home, Oscar crept unnoticed into the parked van shortly before the driver, Californian Vince Simon, closed the door and drove away.

Initially, the Anselmis weren't unduly worried about their cat being missing because Oscar had, on other occasions, wandered into neighbors' homes or garages while meandering about the neighborhood, prompting the Anselmis to look for him. This time, however, there was increased concern when he was still missing after four days. As the search continued on September 15, Mrs. Anselmi received a long-distance call from Simon, who said he had found Oscar in the van the day before during a stop in Spokane, Washington (it had taken him the extra day to track the family down). Mrs. Anselmi told the September 16 Deseret Morning News, "We were so excited, it made our day so bright to find out he had been found."

Oscar had been locked in the van, without food or water, for nearly three days. Due to his work schedule, Simon could not return the pet right away, so for more than a week, Simon allowed it to roam about his big rig, where it would periodically snuggle amongst his T-shirts in the sleeper cab or snooze on the van's floor mats. "We're pals now," the driver told the Morning News during a phone interview prior to his return to Salt Lake. "We talk all the time; he just doesn't answer in English."

After further business stops in Washington and Montana, Oscar was at last reunited with the Anselmis on September 23. The Anselmis offered to reimburse Simon for such items as cat food and kitty litter purchased during his sojourn with Oscar, but he declined and suggested that it would be "all for the good" if they would help someone who needed it more. The Anselmis extended Simon a standing invitation to visit his erstwhile travelling companion whenever Simon is in the Salt Lake area.