Help find these furbabies

COEUR d'ALENE — Two beloved cats are missing from the CDA Pet Resort, 125 E. Hazel, Coeur d'Alene, after slipping out the window of a group boarding room sometime late May 21 or early May 22.

Four had originally escaped, but two are still at large: Salem, a 2-year-old long-haired male black cat with an extra-long, bushy tail and golden eyes; and Luna, a tan, black and gray long-haired female Maine Coon with orange eyes that sometimes look green, stripes along her legs and leopard prints along her back. Luna is almost 3. Salem is microchipped, Luna is not. Neither is wearing collars.

Pet resort owner Dawn Kelp said an employee who found the room to be stuffy had cracked a window to provide better airflow and put a grate over the opening. The cats knocked down the grate and subsequently escaped.

"It was an accident. She thought she was doing right; she was just giving them some air," Kelp said Friday. "We are searching day and night. We have the crews out there every evening, including me."

Kelp said the employee has been assigned to lookout duty.

“We have all been devastated, this is big to us,” she said. "We've been here for a long time. We don't hire anyone unless they're an animal lover."

Salem is a rescue cat. His owner, Vicki Kunz of Post Falls, said Salem was only a few weeks old when her husband, John, found him at his work site and brought the kitten home.

"He is a wanderer but never overnight, always napping at least twice a day outside the house and going out and roaming a block or so," she said. "He gets spooked with loud trucks and cars. He would not be the type to come up to anybody."

Luna's owner, Abby Cutberth of Post Falls, said Luna is a super sweet cat that has never really been away from home. Cutberth has been searching the neighborhood near the pet resort every day.

"I've posted about her online everywhere," Cutberth said. "I raised her from a kitten."

The incident has been shared and discussed countless times on social media.

The CDA Pet Resort team sent a communication to its customers addressing the incident:

"On Sunday, we had an incident for which our team is crushed and the online community is engaged in a lot of incorrect information. As our most important customers, we would like to share with you some details so that you are aware of facts and reiterate our commitment for the animals in our care.

"Early Sunday morning it was discovered cats were missing from our group boarding room. Losing a family’s pet is devastating to all involved mostly notably the cat owners. Our focus has been solely placed on their recovery."

Kelp said after this incident, CDA Pet Resort will phase cats out of its boarding services.

"I can't go through this again," she said. "It's too hard on everyone. This has been the biggest thing, except for losing my husband. It’s been rough."

One of the escapees, a male orange tabby named Chester, was found near the pet resort under a shed. Chester's owner, Tracy Madatian of Post Falls, brought a megaphone to the neighborhood and called his name.

"We heard his meow under this building with a gap where he could come in and out," Madatian said. "We communicated and he came right to me, I was able to scoop him up. I was just elated. It was almost like a Hallmark moment."

She shared hope for the other owners whose kitties are missing.

"Don’t give up. Just keep trying and making sure that you don’t stop looking," she said. "All things are possible. Cats are resilient. They can survive."

If Salem is found, Kunz can be reached at 208-964-1521.

Luna's family can be reached at 208-530-8598.