The West Glacier KOA was closing for the season, a major snowfall was forecasted, and the manager had just caught sight of Newton, a cat who had gone missing several weeks earlier.  

It was Oct. 30 when Darcy Albert, president of KittyMom’s Rescue Organization, got the phone call asking for help.  

"I took a net, and I took a trap, and I took a husband, and we jumped in the car five minutes later and drove up to West Glacier,” she said. 

By the time Albert arrived, the manager had lured the hungry cat into the office, but upon coming indoors, Newton became spooked and hid. Albert set a trap and gave instructions to phone when he was captured. 

"Well, we weren't even back to town yet, and she called -- said he's in the trap,” she said. “So, we turned right around and went back, another 50 miles, back up there, and brought him home. 

“He settled down after three days and some cat calming spray and some calming chews, and I was able to pet him and get to know him, and he's been really tame ever since,” Albert said. 

Newton didn’t have a microchip, so she got him one and had his vaccinations updated. She also acquiesced to the furry cat’s predilection for canned food to the point where the once skinny escapee grew a little overweight. 

“The poor guy,” she sighed. “He just went without food for so long, I didn't want to limit him.” 

Shannon Haynes had been on a trip with a few family members, RV camping across the upper Midwest, when he decided to head to Montana.  

“I went camping with them, and then I continued by myself, just Newton and I, into Montana because I haven't been here since I was 16,” Haynes said.  

In mid-September, the two were enjoying time by the campfire, when Newton, a year and a half old, long-haired tabby, ran off.  Somehow, he’d escaped a snug-fitting full body harness and a leash. 

Haynes extended his stay to look for his beloved feline to no avail. 

“I hung out at the KOA for a little bit longer and going back, waiting on him and I had to go home and I thought, I’ll never see this cat again,” Haynes said. “And then I got a call. Wow.” 

After six weeks of wandering alone in West Glacier, Newton found himself in Albert’s home, getting the care he needed. Five weeks after that, he was reunited with Haynes at Glacier International Airport. 

"I've never seen him so fluffy, but he's never slept outside in the cold either,” Haynes said, embracing his pet. 

“Well, that, and he's been getting brushed every day,” Albert said. 

“I didn't want to take him camping,” Haynes said. “I just didn't have a place to go and I thought, well, he's been my adventure kitty this far.” 

“And he had a big adventure without you,” Albert said. 

“Bigger than I had planned,” Haynes replied then gave a sigh of relief. 

He thanked Albert several times before taking off toward the ticket counter. Within minutes, the two were on a plane, headed home to Arkansas. 

“It’s such a good feeling, so heartwarming,” Albert said, wiping away tears as she made her way to the airport exit. “People don't think they're ever going to see their cats again and then they show up.   

“Nobody goes out there except us and every time we’ve gone out, we’ve been successful and it’s so worth it,” Albert said of KittyMom’s. 

Heartwarming stories like this have become surprisingly common. Albert said this was the third time in the last few weeks that she has reunited pet owners with their cats. 

Most recently, a cat named Trixie went missing from the same area, just half a mile from the West Glacier KOA, and was gone for 86 days, 

The owner had given up hope, but when she heard Trixie had been found, she flew from California to retrieve her. 

"She's a college girl in L.A., and she sobbed her heart out, and then that made me cry,” Albert recalled. “Here we were, out in parking lot ... sobbing ... and she turned around and flew back the same day.” 

Also in November, a cat was found on the west side of Kalispell, its microchip was checked, and the eight-year-old cat was returned to his family after a two-year absence. 

ALBERT FOUNDED KITTYMOM’S Rescue Organization 18 years ago to save the lives of kittens and cats. The 100% volunteer group has 15 foster homes and about 40 volunteers. They spay/neuter, vaccinate, microchip and provide vet care for every animal they rescue. 

When KittyMom’s began, microchips were not widely used, but they started catching on about 10 years ago. Now, pets are often given a microchip during spay and neuter procedures. Albert said microchips are a powerful tool in helping get pets reunited with owners. 

Albert’s organization owns five microchip readers that stay with volunteers throughout the valley -- in Kalispell, Columbia Falls, Coram and Whitefish. They plan on getting a couple more for use in Kila and Bigfork. 

“Our goal there is to scan these kitties and get them home before they ever have to get picked up, thrown in a trap, transported to a shelter where people don't check on them,” Albert said. “We can get a name, we can get an address, and we can get them home.” 

Albert said KittyMom’s operates with no overhead, as they have no shelter, no utilities, so every penny they receive goes right to the cats. 

“We're able to pay for other people's vet bills and have food giveaways. There's no limit to what we can do,” she said. "Our foster moms are retired cardiac nurses and a couple of teachers, couple of vet techs. We have a couple of retired chiropractors. We even have a veterinarian that does the nursing home visits with our team. We just have really experienced expertise.” 

Each year, the organization saves about 400 outdoor cats and kittens. 

"I never dreamed 18 years ago, it would ever turn into anything like this,” she said. 

Albert worked for CentruyLink for 31 years. On the day she retired, the Humane Society called and asked if she would bottle feed six newborn kittens that had been found in the trunk of a car. 

A dog trainer for 40 years, Albert said she knew nothing about cats, but she got training and accepted the request for help. 

“I bottle fed those six little black kittens until they were eight weeks old, and I thought, ‘Where have I been?’” she said. “They are cute. They're adorable. They're clean, they're smart, they don't bark, they don't have to be walked, and they bury their poop. 

“What's not to like about these? She added. “I was addicted right then and there.” 

For more information, visit kittymomsrescue.org.