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BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A cat believed to belong to a family whose home was lost in the Marshall Fire is actually not its beloved pet.

A burned orange feline was found by police in the Cornerstone neighborhood around where the family’s house used to stand. The cat was thought to be Pumpkin, one of the two cats belonging to the Cornejo family.

“We tried to turn around but everyone was driving the opposite direction,” the family said. “We weren’t home to grab anything and go. With the fire that was obviously the hardest thing – not having those kitties.” 

The cat was brought to the Boulder Valley Humane Society where it was attended to for the last few weeks. The Cornejo family visited with who it believed to be Pumpkin.

“A vet tech realized this is actually a male cat – and our Pumpkie was a female,” the family said.

The Cornejo parents had to explain to their two children about the misunderstanding weeks after the family believed to have found Pumpkin.

After returning to the burn site, Pumpkin’s collar was found and determined she died with the family’s other cat, Justin.

Turns out, the burned cat found had been missing for over a year and was reunited with its owner.

Now, the family is trying to pick up the pieces since losing everything to the fire. A GoFundMe page and Amazon wishlist have been set up to help recover from the devastation.