Dick Van Dyke Returns Home for 99th Birthday After Fleeing Wildfires and Reveals His Missing Cat Bobo Was Found Safe

Dick Van Dyke has got one birthday wish crossed off his list — the safe return of his cat Bobo!

A family friend of the entertainer, Laura Johnson, revealed on Instagram that Bobo “escaped” while Van Dyke and his wife Arlene Silver evacuated from their home in Malibu, Calif. earlier this week due to wildfires that raged nearby.

“Our thoughts were with Dick, Arlene and their sweet animals this week as the Franklin Fire raged through their neighborhood in Malibu and the Van Dykes had to evacuate, just days before Dick’s 99th birthday,” she wrote in the post, alongside an old photo of Van Dyke and his wife cheerfully “tapping their toes” during an interview for the Kennedy Center Honors in 2021.

She added that the couple was finally able to return “home again” and be “reunited with their cat Bobo (who escaped as they were evacuating! And thankfully waiting for them upon their arrival back).”  

Van Dyke shared Johnson’s post to his own Instagram page.

He also confirmed Bobo’s safe return in a Facebook post on Thursday, Dec. 12, writing that he and Silver “found Bobo” at their home “as soon as we arrived back home this morning.”

“There was so much interest in his disappearance that Animal Control was called in to assist,” said Van Dyke. “But, thankfully he was easy to find and not harmed.”

The actor and comedian previously shared in a Facebook post on Tuesday, Dec. 10 that he and Silver “safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo,” and had been “praying” that the orange tabby cat would “be ok” and that their “community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires.”

Several fans took to the comments to assure the actor and comedian that Bobo would be okay, including one person who wrote, “Animals have incredible survival instincts. Bobo will find safety and then will find his way back to you.”

Van Dyke, who turns 99 on Friday, Dec. 13, will also be able to celebrate his birthday at home with loved ones after a hectic few days. He previously detailed his escape from the Malibu wildfires, sharing that his neighbors “saved” him and helped pull him to safety after a fire broke out in a nearby guest house.

“[The wildfire] was coming from the hill, you could see it,” the Mary Poppins star recalled in an interview that aired on the Today show on Thursday, Dec. 12. “And oh my God, and we got out of here. I was trying to crawl to the car, I had exhausted myself, I couldn’t get up.”

“Three neighbors came and carried me out and came back and put out a little fire in the guest house and saved me,” he added.

Johnson also shared a message from the Van Dyke family in her post on Instagram, saying, “Dick & Arlene thank their neighbors for helping them evacuate and saving their home from further damage. 🙏🙏 Never more grateful. 🙏❤️.”

Van Dyke was one of tens of thousands of people who had to be evacuated from the Malibu area after the Franklin Fire which began on Monday, Dec. 9. Other famous faces who also had to leave their homes include legendary singer Cher and actress Mira Sorvino.