But in January, the estranged tabby, whose name is Ashes, was found in Florida of all places.

Although it is not clear how the animal made the 1,400-mile trip down the eastern coast, the grey cat has thankfully been returned to her owner.

Cilley, who adopted the cat from an animal shelter back in 2014, got a phone call explaining that a feline with a microchip registered to her had turned up in Florida.

Explaining to the local news outlet WGME-TV, she said she was initially confused when she received the call: “I’m like, ‘Well how old is this cat?’ ‘Pretty old.’ I’m like, ‘I’ve been missing a cat for six and a half years,’”

“Then my daughter heard me talking on the phone and was like, ‘Is it Ashes, is she alive?’ and yes, she is.”

Ashes reportedly had a few health conditions, according to Patch.com, including an upper respiratory infection, dental disease, missing teeth, and a scabby coat.

However, the long lost pet was able to travel back to Maine thanks to Cilley making contact with an animal advocate called Janet Williams, whom she met through a mutual friend.

Williams who fostered the pet told the publication: “She bounced back quickly, though. She has a good coat, a good body weight, and a good disposition.

“She is incredibly sweet. She wants to be brushed, which is unusual for cats, but she loves to be combed.”

More than $1,800 was raised to reunite the cat with her owner and pay for medical expenses and the tabby was able to fly home after Williams found a generous Southwest employee who took the pet on a day off.

Cilley told Patch.com that remarkably Ashes still makes the same squeak sound she did as a youngster, revealing: “She has a squeaky little meow and always did, though at the time I figured it was because she was a kitten.”

But what is still a mystery is how the animal managed to make the long journey from Maine to Florida.

Cilley says: “We have no idea. Maybe somebody found her in Maine, thought she was a stray, took her in and moved to Florida, and she got out and couldn’t find her way home.”

“I wish she could talk,” she added.