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Saanich ‘inside cat’ comes home two weeks later, two pounds lighter

The only one not excited about the return of Arthur, is the other cat from his house, Calvin.
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The only one not excited about the return of Arthur, is the other cat from his house, Calvin.

Granted, Calvin has some troubles of his own.

Ed Pullman and his family were in a state of shock when Arthur - a three-year-old Lynx Point - returned on Sunday after two weeks away. Statistics vary on runaway cats, but Arthur is not the kind of cat that can survive the elements. Chances of finding a lost pet after 24 hours decrease dramatically. They were beginning to accept he was a goner. How the indoor cat survived the rain-soaked fortnight, Pullman is not sure. Arthur clearly didn’t eat much, if anything at all.

(Inset photo: Arthur snug in a pet carrier, caught in neighbour’s garage)

The story brings hope to others who’ve lost their cat for more than 24 hours.

“He’s one kilo lighter, from 5.6 kilos (12 pounds) down to 4.6 (10 lbs.) and dehydrated… but otherwise fine,” Pullman said.

On Sunday Sept. 2, Arthur broke free. It was the first time but every time before Pullman was able to track him down in a few hours.

This time, Arthur didn’t come around.

In his attempts to track the cat down, Pullman, who is also a director with the Gorge Tillicum Community Association, made a lot of new connections. Pullman put up about 97 posters all around.

A neighbour was able to trap Arthur on Sept. 14 when the cat darted into the neighbour’s garage.

“I put up about 100 posters, delivered flyers to surrounding blocks, searched properties on my block and the adjacent one, contacted ROAM [Reuniting Owners with Animals Missing] and FLEC [Find Lost and Escaped Cats],” Pullman said. “My neighbours and I are good buds now. All great people.”

Since Sunday afternoon there’s been an extraordinary amount of cuddles from the cat who already loved to cuddle.

However, things are different. Pullman’s other cat, Calvin, has remained upstairs since Arthur’s return. Calvin is no longer comfortable with post-adventure Arthur, meaning Arthur will remain downstairs.

“People say it’s the smell. Arthur doesn’t smell like he used to so Calvin is afraid of him,” Pullman said. “Arthur is downstairs, Calvin upstairs. It’s apparently quite common.”

reporter@saanichnews.com


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