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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.