This is the story of Croqueta – an adventurous cat from the Amazon jungle who found her way home with the help of two new friends. You can also watch and share this video on YouTube and Facebook.

It all started in Tena Ecuador when the Doctor and I were walking along the Tena River, which you might remember from when I joined Professor Velez and a group of his students from The Tena Institute of Technology for a river cleanup last year.

A few minutes into our walk we heard a cat screaming on top of it's lunges. We both stopped in our tracks to see what was the matter.

Turned out to be a tiny kitten on the other side of a tributary. The Doctor called her over but she was scared of the water. I started searching for an area to cross the tributary to reach the kitten, but in the meantime she mustered up all her courage, crossed the river, and jumped into the Doctor's arms.

This little kitten looked like she had been through hell and back. She was shaking, starving, and someone had cut her whiskers in half – which throws off the equilibrium of cats and makes it hard for them to balance.

I had some dog treats in my pocket that I like to give out to the neighborhood dogs on my walks, which I fed to the kitten, who clearly hadn't eaten in days. That's when we named her Croqueta which means cookie in Spanish (because she was so sweet).

We took Croqueta down to a pet shop to buy some cat food, which she gobbled up straight from my hands. Our plan was to take her back to our house until we could find her a good home.

We gave Croqueta a bath, fed her again, and she quickly made herself right at home.

Meanwhile the Doctor and I had a trip to Cuenca planned for the next day, so the clock was ticking to find Croqueta a Home. It was already late into the evening and we were set to leave early the next morning.

Our options at this point were to take Croqueta with us and try to find her a home in Cuenca, see if our neighbor would take care of her for a week until we returned, or cancel our trip. Before we came to a decision on what to do, one of the Doctor's friends responded to her Facebook post and came to the rescue. This friend was in the city of Macas, which coincidentally we were going to pass by on our way to Cuenca. Just like that, we had found a home for Croqueta.

The only difficult part was… we didn't want to give her away! This little kitten had purred her way into our hearts.

Given our lifestyles of constant travel, we knew it was the right thing to do to give her up. The stars had aligned for this little Kitten and we were just a part of her journey.

The next morning the three of us set out to Macas.

But before dropping Croqueta off at her new home, we took her to the local vet to get her vaccinated, dewormed, and deflead.

Later than afternoon, we dropped Croqueta off at her new home. Doctor's friend was at work when we arrived, but her father met us at the house to take care of Croqueta until her new mom came home.

And that's the story of how one adventurous cat found her way home.

It's not the video I had planned for you this week, but some stories find you instead! Happy travels – and always be sure to take care of your animal friends along the way.

❤️ LOVE ANIMAL STORIES? ❤️

🏨 Watch Dogs Welcome about a hotel in Asheville that fosters dogs for their guests to fall in love with and adopt.

🎄 Feliz Navidog tells the story of when my friend Liz and I rescued a dog in Quito Ecuador, a city known for its dog overpopulation.

☕ Join me at Cafe Mosaico in Quito Ecuado where the owners serve up more than just coffee and tea.

🐱 How about a Cat Park in the middle of Lima Peru?

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