Sneakers has a story to tell.

But unfortunately, there are secrets the 11-year-old feline is going to keep to himself.

Like why he disappeared from his yard in Seattle and showed up in a Sacramento animal shelter—10 years later.

By all accounts, Sneakers happily spent his kitten year with a Seattle family.

Then, after he turned a year old, he disappeared from his yard, leaving only his collar behind.

His 5-year-old mistress, Hilary Keyes, was brokenhearted.

She and her mother combed the neighborhood, posted his picture and pined for his return.

“I was devastated when he went missing,“ said Keyes, now 14.

» Bee: Sneakers the cat—missing 10 years—is going home

Ten years later, he’s dropped off at the animal shelter, where they check him for a microchip—and that’s how they connect him with the Keyes family.

It’s good that there was a chip. Otherwise Sneakers, no longer a kitten, might have ended up an ex-cat.

Spay or neuter—and chip—your pets.