A beloved pet cat that miraculously survived five months in the northern B.C. wilderness was expected to make a pit stop in Winnipeg Tuesday — part of a nearly 4,000-kilometre reunification journey.
“I’m definitely very grateful to all the Canadian cousins up north that helped with this process… I’ve received so much kindness and help than I ever dreamed of,” said Oklahoma resident Jeremy Barton, whose cat Shadow went missing this summer.
Shadow’s lengthy departure from his owners began in July, when Barton was making the drive from Alaska to Oklahoma as part of a relocation trek.
Following nearly 21 hours of driving on the first day, Barton said he stopped to rest at Liard River Hot Springs Park in B.C., about 60 kilometres south of Yukon.
“I was just exhausted, so I tried getting some sleep, but it got too hot in the car. So, I figured I’d crack the windows a little bit since Shadow was out of his carrier,” Barton said in a phone interview Tuesday morning.
However, at some point during the night, the short-haired feline crept out.
“And by the time I woke up and realized it, I had to take all the boxes out of the back (of the car) to make sure he wasn’t hiding back there,” he said. “And then I got his food bowl and his food — because he’s very food motivated — so I walked around the area for a couple of hours banging his food bowl…just nothing. Silence.”
Barton said he felt immense guilt after breaking the news to his two kids — aged seven and nine. Shadow had been a part of the family for just over a year since being adopted from a rescue shelter, he explained.
“I started thinking maybe (Shadow) wasn’t safe, for sure, or maybe he got lucky, and some family picked him up with their RV, and now he’s living the fancy life,” Barton said.
‘Extremely shocked’: Cat resurfaces
Months later, Barton said he was amazed when staff at the hot springs park phoned him in November to say they found his cat.
“I was extremely shocked, because I remember driving and seeing a bunch of black bears and foxes up there,” he recalled.
From there, Barton said his family was “stressing” about how to bring the cat home. However, it wasn’t long before two good Samaritans and B.C. residents learned of the situation and offered to help.
Christine Sutherland and Bruce Kosugi were vacationing in the park when they learned of the news from staff members.
“It was just, ‘How can we help,’” Sutherland said. “It just seems like such a miracle. Anyone who’s had a pet, the worst dream come true is something happened to your pet and you’re never going to see it.”
Kosugi, who is highly allergic to cats, then made the eight-hour drive south to Fort St. John, B.C., with Sutherland comforting the feline on her lap. The city of approximately 21,000 people has since been Shadow’s temporary home for the past few weeks.
“I’ve never seen such an affectionate cat,” Sutherland said. “He is so appreciative of being held and patted.”
As part of the next step in reuniting Shadow with his owners, Sutherland said she’s flying to Winnipeg Tuesday evening. From there, she is expected to meet some of Barton’s friends who are crossing the U.S. border to help bring the feline to Oklahoma.
“It definitely means a lot,” Barton said. “It was definitely unexpected, but I was very happy to receive that kind of help.”