Almost seven months later, a cat missing from Mill Bay is back with his family, in a reunion that goes to show “teamwork makes the dream work,” according to Finding Felines.
The Duncan-based group, which helps find lost and escaped cats, took to Facebook Tuesday saying “Mucky,” a male cat, had been found after six and a half months.
It’s believed he hitched a ride in the back of a truck leaving Mill Bay sometime in May. He likely jumped out near Mount Prevost, which is close to Somenos north of Duncan.
But it was months later when locals spotted the cat and reached out.
“Two weeks ago, a couple of caring ladies contacted me concerned about him,” wrote Finding Felines in the post. “They believed he may have been lost as he was attempting to find food in their neighbourhood.”
So after a week of sneaking in and out of a cat door to get kibble, Mucky was finally caught inside the house, says the group. He was then taken to be scanned for a chip, but he had no ID, so the group offered to care for him until his owners were found.
“I reached out to our incredible local cat rescue Foster Kritters, and she offered to help by fitting him into an already massive undertaking of spaying and neutering a feral colony of approximately 40 plus cats,” said Finding Felines.
The group posted photos of Mucky online, placing focus on his belly markings and skinny tail in hopes the owner, or owners, would recognize him and come forward.
The next morning, the phone rang, “and much to my excitement, it was Mucky’s owner. She saw the post shared on social media and wanted to come and confirm it was, in fact, him,” said Finding Felines.
“We shared a moment of happiness I will never forget.”
The group often takes to Facebook to post about lost cats on Vancouver Island. In September, CHEK News spoke with another group, ROAM, after staff there found a cat that had been missing for three years on the Island.
Mucky’s owner was told about the arrangements with Foster Kritters, a non-profit group, and agreed it was best to have him neutered. The owner also offered to pay for any costs associated, according to the group, so Mucky said “goodbye to his kitten-making days forever…”
As a thank you, Finding Felines says it will sponsor the cost of neutering for one of the colony cats. It’s also encouraging others to donate to Foster Kritters, adding that more information about the group can be found on Facebook.
“The saying ‘teamwork makes the dream work’ couldn’t be more true,” said Finding Felines.
Ethan Morneau
