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
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Record-breaking N.B. lottery winner kept winning ticket on dresser for nearly a year
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.