Lost Victoria cat found in Nanaimo months later
A Victoria family was ecstatic to learn that their lost cat, Miri, had been found about two months after she had gone missing.
Adding to the surprise was that Miri was found more than 100 kilometres away from Victoria in the Mid-Island community of Nanaimo, B.C.
Miri's owner, referred to only as Megan by the BC SPCA in a release Tuesday, says it was unusual when Miri did not return home after she went missing.
"The day she went missing, we called her name over and over again, tried treats and searched the grounds but she was nowhere to be found," she told the SPCA.
"A large deer had visited the co-op grounds that day, so we aren’t sure if that spooked her," she said.
Miri's family put up posters and searched for their cat for months. Megan had almost given up hope before she received a fateful call.
"After we hadn’t heard anything for a couple of months, I remember thinking about putting away her food, but I thought no, not just yet and then I got a phone call from the Nanaimo BC SPCA," she said in the release.
'STRAY' CAT FOUND
The Nanaimo SPCA branch had received a "stray" cat, which was brought in by a Good Samaritan who saw that it was injured.
The SPCA says somehow Miri's collar had gotten around her head and one of her front legs, causing it to constrict and wound her.
After Miri was treated by veterinarians, she was scanned for a chip, and Megan's contact information appeared.
The excited pet owner took a day off work and drove up to Nanaimo with her son, Dean, as soon as she got the news about Miri.
"We were a little shocked when we first saw her, because she was so skinny," said Megan. "As soon as she saw us, she came right over."
Miri the missing cat is pictured. (BC SPCA)
Once the trio made it home, Megan says Miri was "finally able to relax."
"When we got her home, all she wanted to do was snuggle, be on my lap and purr," she said.
'SPICIER THAN SHE USED TO BE'
No one knows how the three-and-a-half-year-old cat made it from Victoria to Nanaimo, but her family says the journey changed her.
"She is definitely a little spicier than she used to be," said Megan.
"She always loved to play attack, but she would never use her claws or teeth, just grab with soft paws," she said. "Now she smacks a little harder and will touch you with her teeth. She also purrs more often and louder now."
Megan adds that Miri is no longer intimidated by their dog, Frank.
The pet owner says she's grateful to the SPCA and the Good Samaritan that brought Miri to the SPCA.
The BC SPCA is encouraging pet owners to have some form of identification on their pet, such as a microchip. The chips can also be registered with the BC SPCA Pet Registry, which is accessible by all SPCA branches in the province, in case pets get lost.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.