Lost New Mexico kitten found in duffel bag - in Maine

WESTBROOK, Maine -- A New Mexico woman's missing kitten has been located in Maine, although exactly how the feline made the 2,300-mile trip remains a mystery.

The female kitten, named Spice, was turned into the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook earlier this month by a man who found her inside a duffel bag outside a Portland thrift store.

Spice's owner was tracked though an implanted microchip to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Jennifer Brown of the Animal Refuge League tells the Portland Press Herald she talked to the owner, who said Spice bolted on Halloween when she opened her door for trick-or-treaters.

The owner, who didn't want to be identified, said she's never been to Maine and doesn't know anyone from Maine.

Spice, meanwhile, remains in Westbrook because the owner can't afford to fly her home.

"We're going to do everything we can to reunite her with her owner," said Jeana Roth, community relations manager for the Animal Refuge League.

This is the second time in two months that a pet has made a mysterious cross-country journey. In September, a Jack Russell terrier that went missing from its Pennsylvania home turned up at an animal shelter in Oregon. The owner of that dog was also tracked through an implanted microchip.