The cat, named George, was last seen by Melinda Merman and Frank Walburg in 1995. He recently resurfaced when the manager of a mobile home park trapped the sickly feline and gave him to an animal hospital.
A microchip implanted in George allowed him to be traced back to his owners.
Merman says after George went missing she visited animal shelters and wrote to veterinarians in search of the gray, yellow-eyed cat, who now weighs less than half his original 14-pounds.
But Merman and Walburg say George is eating well and displaying some of his old behavior, like jumping at flickering light on the wall.
