The cat’s back

Mikette Von Issenberg couldn’t imagine feeling any worse in June. She was in the middle of spending six days in recovery at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian when she got the news.

Her cherished African jungle cat hybrid, Kimba, had gone missing, and she was helpless to rescue him. Von Issenberg suspected Kimba left the house looking for her, the only person he knew since he was raised from 5 weeks old.

Von Issenberg, 48, immediately started the search for Kimba from her hospital bed, notifying friends and neighbors of his disappearance.

After being released, Von Issenberg initiated a scrupulous cat hunt that involved months of posting color fliers along Pacific Coast Highway from Laguna Beach to Long Beach and waking up each morning at dawn to look for Kimba. She ran into coyotes, bobcats and even a cougar along the way.

But on Tuesday, there was Kimba back in his owner’s lap. Von Issenberg knows she shouldn’t play favorites among her four pets; however, she can’t help pampering Kimba, who returned home Saturday morning after he had been missing for seven months.

His bright green, angled eyes glowing, Kimba feasted on albacore tuna and roasted chicken breast on Tuesday morning while his owner tore down the remaining “missing” fliers near her Corona del Mar home.

“I cant believe he is sitting here next to me,” Von Issenberg said about her 17-inch tall, 42-inch long cat. “You have no clue what I went through to find this cat.”

In addition to contacting local police, animal protection agencies and shelters to assist in the pursuit, Von Issenberg consulted with three pet psychics.

“She really did her part, and that’s what it takes to find an animal,” said Animal Network of Orange County founder DiAnna Pfaff-Martin. “More people should make an effort like this because it’s not impossible.”

Because Kimba responds only to his owner’s call and does not approach strangers, Von Issenberg at times doubted she would retrieve her cat, whom she refers to as a “loner” and “one-man cat.” But her hard work paid off when she got a call from a Pelican Crest-area couple at 6 a.m. Saturday.

After sighting Kimba near their home several times and recognizing his image from a Dec. 12 Daily Pilot advertisement, Jerry and Carole Ann Ruoff bought a large trap from a local pet shop and lured the animal with mackerel. Following many failed attempts, they caught Kimba — who had ventured several miles from his home — and contacted Von Issenberg immediately.

“I’d been seeing the ad for months, and I recognized him,” said Carole Ann Ruoff, who did not accept Von Issenberg’s $500 reward for Kimba’s retrieval. “He was a long way from home.”

When the two were initially reunited, Kimba went right to his owner’s arms and began to purr. Though the cat rarely meows, Von Issenberg said he “sounds like a wild creature” when he does, as if he is moaning the word “mama.”

“I couldn’t believe it was him,” said Von Issenberg, daughter of the late Renée Segerstrom, arts leader and “cat lover.” “He won’t go anywhere without me.”

Mark Klemperer, Kimba’s breeder and the owner of Wildcat Canyon Ranch, supposed the cat’s “wild blood” is what kept him alive since he went missing in June. Besides giving wild cat hybrids like Kimba more exotic looks, the wild blood gives the animal a larger build and an acute intelligence, all crucial features in warding off possible predators.

“It’s unheard of for a cat to survive out there,” he said. “He didn’t act like a prey animal, but stood his ground and acted like, ‘Hey, I belong here — back off.’ ”

Von Issenberg imagines Kimba found the environment near Cameo Shores familiar, as jungle cats often inhabit the reeds that grow near rivers and lakes.

Kimba will be 3 years old in March, and Von Issenberg hopes he will soon gain back the 15 pounds he lost while away from home. His veterinarian reports he is in good health and has tested negative for feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia.