When Charlie, a 5-year-old black and white cat, went missing two years ago, Kristian Codero and her family never gave up hope of finding him again.

“Every time we would see a black and white cat, we had to stop and see if it was Charlie,” Kristian said.

Charlie has distinctive markings on the underside of his chin, but each time the Coderos looked under a cat’s chin, it turned out not to be Charlie.

Not knowing what had happened to Charlie made the loss especially hard for 12-year-old Kallie Codero.

“She’s cried ever since the day we lost him,” Kristian said, adding that they feared Charlie had become the victim of a coyote attack.

Last week, on a trip to Petsmart to pick up food for the guinea pig, the family’s two-year dream was realized when 10-year-old Karrah spotted the wayward Charlie in the window of the Field Haven Feline Rescue booth.

“He lifted his head, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, that’s him,’ ” Kristian said. “I knew it was Charlie, and I asked the (Petsmart) worker if I could get in there, but he said only Field Haven has the key.”

Kristian called the number on the window, but it was after hours, and she got a recording.

“I sat down. I wouldn’t leave until I had talked to someone,” Kristian said.

Fortunately, a separate phone number was posted for after-hours calls, and Kristian got in touch with Field Haven, setting up a time to meet the next day and bring Charlie home.

Shortly after noon on Thursday, Joy Smith and Jen Paul from Field Haven met Kristian at Petsmart.

It was a tearful reunion as Smith handed Charlie to Kristian, reuniting the cat with his owner after a nearly two-year odyssey.

The Codero family moved to Lincoln in January, 2007, and Charlie, who liked to spend time in the garage, went missing six months later.

The Coderos took repeated trips to the Placer County SPCA and made calls to animal control and other shelters, but none bore fruit.

Field Haven rescued Charlie outside The Home Depot on October, 2007, finding him skinny and hungry.

“Charlie never was much of a hunter,” Kristian said. “His brother was always the hunter.”

Both Charlie and his brother have belonged to the Coderos since they were kittens.

When Field Haven couldn’t find an owner, Charlie was put up for adoption, and went to live with another Lincoln family.

Charlie, however, had “litterbox issues,” according to Smith, and the distraught family brought him back after a year.

The “litterbox issues” warranted a series of medical tests, but nothing was physically wrong with Charlie, who spent most of his time at Field Haven quietly.

For one week, Charlie was put into the booth at Petsmart, and it happened to be the week the Coderos needed to buy food for the guinea pig.

“This is just too crazy,” Kristian said. “It was meant to be.”

As soon as he saw Kristian, Charlie came to life, leaving his quiet side behind as he recognized his long-lost family.

“He’s never been this perky with us,” Paul said.

Kristian hugged Charlie to her chest and stroked his head as Smith and Paul watched, alternately fighting tears and laughing.

“We always say that miracles happen at Field Haven,” Paul said. “This is just another one.”

Brandon Darnell can be reached by e-mail at brandond@goldcountrymedia.com.

Microchips help you find your lost pets

While Charlie’s story has a happy ending, Joy Smith, of Field Haven Feline Rescue said that microchips can help make those happy endings more frequent.

Smaller than a grain of rice, microchips implanted under the skin of pets makes locating their owners much easier.

When Field Haven rescues an animal, one of the first things workers do is run a microchip scanner over the animal. If a microchip is present, a unique ID number and a telephone number show up, allowing staff to easily contact the rightful owners.

As a matter of procedure, Field Haven microchips all cats that come through its doors, including Charlie.

The lesson on microchipping was taken to heart by Kristian Codero, Charlie’s owner, and she said Charlie’s brother, whom she also owns, now sports a microchip as well.

“It’s really important to get your pet microchipped,” Smith said. “Microchips are so important.”

A microchip in another cat that had been missing for two years allowed Field Haven to return it to its owner two weeks ago, Smith said.

Field Haven Feline Rescue offers microchipping for $20, according to Smith.

To contact Field Haven, call 434-6122.