'Purr-fect' match for Petaluma couple

PETALUMA, Calif. (KTVU) - Brian Herrera and Cathleen Cavin of Petaluma met through online dating and quickly learned they were a "purr-fect match."

The pair went on a date and hit it off. Herrera thought it was "love at first sight." That's until Cavin came over to his house and saw his cat.

She saw an orange and white cat in his backyard, "and I was like, 'oh my god that's my cat.' and he said 'no that's my cat.' He's said he really liked me until that point… but started to think I was crazy."

Cavin insisted Herrera, a widower, come over to her house to see the resemblance. The next day Herrera met Cavin's cat 'Ozzie' and had to admit - the cats were identical.

After talking about the cats they discovered they had adopted brother cats from Petaluma Animal Services in 2014. They even confirmed their suspicions by looking at the pet adoption paperwork. That's when Cavin knew they were "meant to be together."

The pair has led similar lives - both living in San Rafael, Fairfax and Petaluma. They even have daughters who are about the same age. "The girls now call each other sisters," said Cavin.

The couple recently decided Ozzie and Butter should have a reunion. Cavin tells KTVU she thinks Ozzie recognized Butter - but Butter was a little on guard.

The brothers will finally be permanently reunited, when the couple moves in together in March. Cavin says the craziest thing about the story is she promised her daughter that someday she would find Ozzie's brother. She never thought she'd be able to fulfill that promise. "I really believe this is meant to be," she said.