Campbell Riverite Rob Tuttle and his partner, Sandra Hamling, were on vacation in Mexico with their two kids when they received a message that made their trip one to remember.
A volunteer with Campbell River Partners for Animal Welfare (CRPAWS), Pauline Woods, reached out to let them know that a cat with a tattoo registered to their name was found along the North Island Highway in an unpopulated area.
Georgie, a friendly young Tortoiseshell cat, had been missing for two months when she was spotted during a rainstorm by CRPAWS volunteer and kitten foster Shannon Briggs, on her way home to Sayward.
“It was dark and pouring rain when I saw her dart across the highway so I stopped to try and get a better look at her and get the exact location so CRPAWS trappers could follow up,“ recounted Briggs. ”I didn’t expect a soaking wet cat to run right into my arms! She purred and sat on my lap the entire drive back to Campbell River.”
After hearing the news of Georgie’s return the family noted the uncanny timing. “Just a day earlier we told the kids that she was most likely deceased. It was very strange timing. We were all overjoyed to hear the news that she was found safe,” said Tuttle.
The rescue team figures Georgie made the 30 km trip from Ocean Grove most likely by being dumped by a disgruntled neighbour. The family hadn’t known about the lost pet Facebook page – Lost & Found Animals of Campbell River – that CRPAWS volunteers have administered for more than 14 years to help reunite pets with their owners.
After returning home from Mexico, Tuttle was reunited with Georgie in an emotional and joyful reunion.
The family’s two dogs and four other cats, who are also Georgie’s biological siblings, were also happy to see her return home. The family gave a generous donation as a thank you to the rescue, which is a registered charity run solely on fundraising and donations to help local cats.
CRPAWS has reunited multiple cats found along the highway, some missing for more than a year and encourages cat owners to take precautions to keep their pets safe. Catios can help keep cats from bothering neighbours and keeping tattoo and microchip information updated is essential to reunite missing pets quickly like Georgie was.
As the weather warms, “kitten season” will begin. This is a time when unfixed female cats go into heat resulting in CRPAWS seeing an often overwhelming influx of kittens. The rescue is happily accepting new foster homes and material donations of kitten food and wood pellet litter. To make an in-kind donation please email CampbellRiverPaws@gmail.com
They also encourage those looking for a new cat or kitten to visit their Facebook or site at crpaws.ca.