



A Chicago family that lost their rare cat while vacationing in San Diego, Calif., has been found and returned to the family.

The Foscos said a family from the La Jolla section of San Diego found their cat, Ivy, on July 29, about three miles from where it was first reported missing, according to ABC News affiliate KGTV. The Foscos says the cat's microchip led him to being properly identified.

Ivy went missing July 17 when the Foscos were visiting the San Diego area. In a hurry to find their cat, they offered a $5,000 reward and hired a bloodhound team from Los Angeles to sniff out the cat. Regarding the reward, the Foscos said they reached an undisclosed settlement with the family that found Ivy.

Ivy is a rare Savannah cat, which is no regular housecat. A Savannah is derived from breeding an African serval wild cat with a domestic cat. A first-generation cat can cost more than $20,000. Ivy is a second-generation, but still worth a lot of money.

"It's really got nothing to do with the money in my eyes," Paul Fosco told KGTV after Ivy went missing. His son Mike owns the cat.

The family stayed in the San Diego area for a few days after the cat initially went missing. They eventually went home to Chicago before returning last weekend to pick up Ivy.

"For people who own pets and are truly in love with them, it's not just a pet," Fosco said. "It's a member of the family. It's more than just a cat or a dog."