OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 2-year-old California girl and her cat are together again thanks to the dogged work of an Omaha private investigator.

The girl’s mother, Riley McDermid of Vallejo, California, reported the pet missing last month.

McDermid told private investigator Mona Kay that the cat, Sheba, disappeared around the time an Omaha brother and sister arrived in the neighborhood to retrieve their late father’s possessions.

Neighbors said the brother and sister were looking for a black cat named Lucy that fled when they entered the residence. They were later seen loading a pet carrier into their van.

McDermid says she found the cat in Omaha with a woman who conceded that she made a mistake. The cat had an implanted microchip confirming it belonged to McDermid.