A stray cat discovered in Fredericton, New Brunswick, is preparing for an emotional return to her owner in Ottawa, Ontario, after being missing for over a year and found two provinces away.
The cat, named Birdie, was taken to the Oromocto SPCA on Monday by a local woman who had been caring for her intermittently for several months, hoping to secure her a permanent home.
Jacob Kierstead, a summer student at the shelter, recalled the surprising moment when Birdie’s microchip was scanned, revealing her registered address in Ottawa. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a stray make it to another province,” Kierstead remarked. “Cats have traveled across the province before, but never across provincial borders.”
Kierstead noted that microchip information is sometimes outdated, but in Birdie’s case, the shocked owner was still residing in Ottawa, completely unaware of how their cat had ended up in New Brunswick. “They were pretty shocked,” Kierstead said. “They had given up hope on finding their cat. It had been over a year since they lost her, and they were definitely surprised she made it all the way down here.”
The SPCA faced the challenge of arranging Birdie’s return home. A Facebook post seeking anyone traveling to Ottawa soon yielded an unexpected response—a former foster parent, now living in Ottawa, was coincidentally visiting family in the Fredericton area and offered to transport Birdie back home on Friday. Remarkably, this person lives just five minutes from Birdie’s home.
Kierstead emphasized the importance of microchipping pets, saying, “It’s always a huge relief when we scan them and get a beep, and have some information to go off of instead of making a post and hoping someone will be able to give us some information.”
As for Birdie, currently resting comfortably in Oromocto, she is set to embark on her journey home, bringing a heartwarming end to her incredible adventure.
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