On Sept. 24 our cat, (well, actually our son Evan’s cat), named Treble, became lost in the Dog Creek Road, Ottoman Drive area where we live.
We think it was scared off our property by a large dog.
We searched the area for about six weeks, delivering little notes with Treble’s description and our address/phone information, to each house within a kilometre of our home. We put a large note at four of the closest mailbox areas as well as the Mountview School and Store.
We talked to quite a few neighbours, many of whom we had never met before. They were receptive to our explanations and said they would keep our cat in mind.
Several of these neighbours phoned us and we went to their area and checked out their story. Sometimes we even saw the cat they were referring to but it was never our cat. Even so, we appreciated their concern.
The SPCA was contacted two times earlier in our search and we placed a free advertisement about our cat, courtesy of the Williams Lake Tribune. Soon after, we placed an advertisement with the Tribune with a picture of Treble.
Not too long after this, we received a call from a young woman. The conversation went something like this: She asked, “Are you looking for a cat?”
“Yes, it’s been missing for six weeks,” I replied.
“I think it’s at the SPCA,” she responded. “I was looking through the Tribune newspaper and I thought it was strange that there were two different pictures that looked like the same cat. I was confused at first, since both pictures also used different names. Then, I realized you were looking for your cat, Treble, and that the SPCA, who had posted the other picture, was hoping to find a new home for a cat, named Luna.
After thanking this clever, special lady, I phoned the SPCA. The SPCA representative said the cat, Luna, was at the vet’s to be checked over.
“When would it be back?” I asked.
“About two to three o’clock this afternoon and we close at five,” she answered.
My mother and I both had eye appointments that afternoon but by the time we were done there, it was 5:30 p.m.
We would have to sweat it out until the next morning to check out this cat at the SPCA.
When I told my wife, about what had happened that day, we took out the Tribune and had a look for ourselves at the advertisements that the female detective above had mentioned. We couldn’t believe it. The picture sent in from SPCA looked so much like our cat, Treble, we started looking for other pictures of our cat from the computer as well as photo albums. With each picture we viewed, we became more and more convinced, this Luna, was our Treble.
My wife couldn’t stop walking by the table where the picture in the paper was, and saying that’s just got to be Treble.
The next day, as I bounced along the Bonds Lake Road up to the SPCA, I wondered if I would be as happy and excited on my return trip.
Opening the door to the building, no one was evident and I could only hear one poor dog whining somewhere down the hall.
After a few minutes, a young girl came from the far end of the building’s hall and she carefully soaked her shoes in a pan of disinfectant type solution and did so again before she came into the entrance room where I was waiting and wondering.
“Hello, I’m here to check on the cat you’ve named Luna,” I said, feeling like I was intruding. “I think it is our cat.”
“Well Luna is right here,” and she opened the door just to my right.
Within five seconds, this cat calmly walked out. I knew right away it wasn’t Luna but after six weeks, I couldn’t quite believe it was Treble, until it allowed me to pick it up and started nuzzling my face, which she rarely did.
Treble had recognized me, too!
It turned out the SPCA had been boarding Treble for 12 days and we hadn’t phoned in that time.
As far as we have been able to figure out, Treble had been picked up near the Rugby Field at the top of Ottoman Drive, (about half a kilometre from our house) and been taken to the SPCA. Obviously, the pickings of mice, etc., in the great outdoors, weren’t as conducive to putting on weight as the food dish on the kitchen floor but Treble had survived.
Thanks to the Mountview Store, students and staff of Mountview School and the good folk near Ottoman Dr./Dog Creek Road area. Many thanks to the SPCA for hoteling Treble (Luna) and the thoughtful person who had the good sense and heart to bring her to there. Speaking of this thoughtful person, if you are willing, we would like to thank you personally. We are in the phone book.
Rocco Catalano is a teacher and community band leader in Williams Lake.