A cat lost since last summer, was reunited with her family yesterday in Langley.
Itsa国际传媒檚 one of those furry tail endings that LAPS has become synonymous for, confirmed Jayne Nelson, executive director of the Langley Animal Protection Society.
But this story had a few bizarre twists and turns along the way.
Nikko is a ginger cat that went missing at a rest stop near Hope back in June 2017.
She and her family, Irene and Brian Wade, were moving from Alberta to their new home on the Vancouver Island.
Nikko never liked car rides at the best of times, Irene said. On this long road trip, she was sa国际传媒渢ruly terrified,sa国际传媒� huddled in a corner of her cat kennel sa国际传媒� unwilling to eat, drink, and barely sleep during the two-day convoy from Calgary to Bowser.
Feeling guilty that the cat was so traumatized, Irene decided to use a recently gifted harness and leash to let Nikko out of the kennel to explore an inviting grassy knoll at the rest stop.
Suddenly, a deafening blast of noise came from passing semis and other vehicles on the adjacent freeway. The cat wiggled free of its harness sa国际传媒渇aster than you could blink,sa国际传媒� and escaped into the woods nearby, recounted Irene.
The couple and their entourage searched for hours around the rest stop and the dense bushes that ran alongside the highway. But to no avail.
sa国际传媒淚 was just frantic,sa国际传媒� Irene said, noting that many area residents, as well as passersby who stopped at the rest stop during the next few hours, tried to help.
sa国际传媒淲e tried for hours to get her,sa国际传媒� Irene told the Langley Advance. sa国际传媒淲e couldnsa国际传媒檛 find her.sa国际传媒�
Heartbroken and defeated, they reluctantly pushed on with their journey, but Irene wasnsa国际传媒檛 willing to give up.
She reached out online to several organizations and eventually connected with an animal rescue group in Hope. Several of their members continued the search and reported back.
sa国际传媒淚 was amazed. I couldnsa国际传媒檛 believe that all these people sa国际传媒� total strangers sa国际传媒� would do this,sa国际传媒� said a grateful Irene.
Turned out an orange cat was spotted in the evenings around the rest stop over the next several weeks. But all attempts to catch her failed, and two trips back by Irene and Brian proved futile.
sa国际传媒淲e gave up,sa国际传媒� she said, admitting she was sa国际传媒渉eartbroken.sa国际传媒�
Turned out that some five months after Nikko went missing, with winter embracing the mountain pass community, the cat was discovered skinny and matted outside Hope.
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Dropped off at Langley shelter
She was scooped up and subsequently dropped off to LAPSsa国际传媒� Patti Dale Animal Shelter in Aldergrove on Dec. 2, Nelson interjected.
And during a routine exam, it was discovered Nikko (not knowing their name the shelter staff had since renamed her Marigold) had a heart murmur.
sa国际传媒淪he was diagnosed by one of our community vet partners sa国际传媒� through ultrasound sa国际传媒� as having HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy),sa国际传媒� Nelson explained.
Because of the progressive heart disease sa国际传媒� which can be managed but not cured sa国际传媒� LAPS adoption counsellor Amy Parker was sa国际传媒渆ven more determinedsa国际传媒� to try to find the catsa国际传媒檚 owner.
If she couldnsa国际传媒檛 find her family, Parker sought to at least the clinic where she was tattooed, so they could determine her age (vets thought due to the condition of her teeth that she was likely two to five years old), learn of any other pre-existing health issues, and determine the best course of treatment to manage her disease.
sa国际传媒淏y doing some extra sleuthing, Amy sa国际传媒榮truck goldsa国际传媒� and managed to track her tattoo to a clinic in Alberta,sa国际传媒� Nelson elaborated.
Turns out Marigoldsa国际传媒檚 real name was Nikko, and that she was about 14 years old.
But moreover, Parker learned the identity of her owners. Connecting with the catsa国际传媒檚 family, LAPS staff were overjoyed to learn that the Wades were sa国际传媒渢hrilledsa国际传媒� and shocked by the news that Nikko was alive and well, Nelson said.
They learned of the Nikkosa国际传媒檚 whereabouts on Tuesday and made a trip back to the mainland the very next day to retrieve her.
Now, a Langley animal shelter playing a key role in uniting an Alberta cat with its family on Vancouver Island is an odd set of circumstances, to be sure, Nelson said.
But Nikkosa国际传媒檚 story has a further twist, Nelson explained.
Turns out the Wades were also a little perplexed by the notification. They thought they had already been reunited with Nikko.
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Two orange tabbies
A couple from Belgium were travelling through Hope, heading to catch their flight at the Vancouver International Airport, when the found a small, disheveled orange tabby at the rest stop.
This was literally one month after Nikko went missing.
In a hurry to catch their plane, the couple could do nothing more than drop the cat off at the narby Hope visitor centre.
Since many people in town had known of the Wadesa国际传媒檚 quest to reunite with their cat, it didnsa国际传媒檛 take much effort to find them and share the good news of Nikkosa国际传媒檚 discovery.
The cat was in rough shape, tattered, and much lighter in weight and colour than when last theysa国际传媒檇 seen her.
sa国际传媒淚 was just thinking itsa国际传媒檚 because of the trauma,sa国际传媒� said Irene. But she admitted to being sa国际传媒渙ver the moonsa国际传媒� about the reunion.
sa国际传媒淪he did look awful,sa国际传媒� Irene said, noting she was pale and that the tattoo in her ear had faded to little more than spots.
Since bringing her home in July, however, Nikko had settled well into their new home. Shesa国际传媒檇 become much more affectionate and much less skiddish than ever before, but she was sa国际传媒渏ust finesa国际传媒� and Irene was sa国际传媒渁bsolutely convincedsa国际传媒� they had their furry baby back.
At least Irene thought it was Nikko until they received a call sa国际传媒渙ut of the blue the other nightsa国际传媒� telling them of the discovery of the real Nikko.
sa国际传媒淲e had the wrong cat?sa国际传媒�
They did, indeed.
It turned out the cat they retrieved in July was not the kitten theysa国际传媒檇 adopted from a prairie farmer 14 years ago for their young daughter.
In fact, it was an sa国际传媒渋mposter.sa国际传媒�
Who would have thought that two orange tabbies would go missing and ultimately be rescued around the same time at the same freeway rest stop on the outskirts of Hope? queried a baffled Irene.
sa国际传媒淚 just cansa国际传媒檛 believe it,sa国际传媒� Irene shared. sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檝e been online with friends all day sharing Nikkosa国际传媒檚 story. And, like me, theysa国际传媒檙e flabbergasted by the news.sa国际传媒�
So now, Nikko 1 (a.k.a. Marigold) and Nikko 2 (a.k.a. the imposter) are both settling into their new life together with the Wades.
Theresa国际传媒檚 still a lot of hissing and posturing, and the two catsa国际传媒檚 havensa国际传媒檛 been quick to bond, but Irene holds out hope they will.
For now, shesa国际传媒檚 just content to have them both safe at home. But she will likely reach out to some of her new friends in Hope sa国际传媒� those with the rescue group sa国际传媒� to see if anyone else missing an orange tabby.
Shesa国际传媒檚 kind of hoping there isnsa国际传媒檛, having grown attached to the imposter, as well.
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Happy to help reunite
sa国际传媒淲e are always excited to see a cat go back home with their owners, but this one was especially remarkable,sa国际传媒� said Nelson.
sa国际传媒淲hat a great story and example of the importance of permanent ID like a tattoo or microchip. Three cheers for Marigold (Nikko) and her family,sa国际传媒� Nelson said.
This is the second time in the as many months that LAPS helped reunite a pet with an owner from out of town sa国际传媒� and originally out of province.
Readers might recall the story of Frankie, a three-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier that went missing in Alberta and ended up in care at Langleysa国际传媒檚 Patti Dale Animal Shelter.
Frankie went missing while being cared for by a family friend in Alberta last July.
Five months later, again thanks to more sa国际传媒渟uper shelter staff sleuthingsa国际传媒� by LAPS, he was reunited with Ashley Power and her family in Spruce Grove, Alta. just before Christmas.
It was revealed through Facebook after their reunion that the 1,100 kilometres of separation could be explained. A woman discovered the dog in Cold Lake about five days after he went missing. He was beaten and scratched up, and apparently alone, so she decided to take him along to her new home in Abbotsford.
He was later picked up and brought into care at , and eventually reunited.
sa国际传媒淲e love happy endings!sa国际传媒� Nelson concluded, commenting on both of the recent bizarre reunions.
