A nine-year-old cat has been reunited with its joyous family in Edmonton – three months after the feline wandered away from a B.C. campsite.
Lucy was left at the site, near Nelson, for just a few minutes while her owners carried gear down to the beach to make dinner. But when they came back to get the slight gray cat, she was nowhere to be found.
The owners were extra upset because Lucy had never really been outside on her own.
"She had been inside all her life and I only brought her this time because I didn't want to her to feel lonely. We hired someone to care for her but Lucy's getting on in years and I kind of wanted to have her with us," said owner Victor Stevenson.
The SPCA said a local resident found the cat wandering around a local marina on Oct. 4. The animal agency was able to contact her owners in Edmonton because she was wearing an ID tag.
Branch Manager Julie Fletcher said it's remarkable the kitty survived.
"There are many wild animals in that area but luckily she escaped them all," she said.
Lucy was thin and had a few fleas, but was in otherwise remarkably good spirits.
Stevenson and his family drove 1,400 kilometres in just over 16 hours on Wednesday to pick up Lucy from the Cranbrook SPCA, where she'd been transferred.
"Deep down I had a premonition she was still alive, but at the same time, I never expected to see Lucy again," Stevenson said.
The family says they're excited to celebrate Lucy's 10th birthday in February.
"You don't give up on a family member," said Stevenson, "and Lucy is family."
The BC SPCA reunited more than 5,000 animals with their anxious families last year alone.
