Ollie the American cat has been found in Prince George.
The long-haired family pet disappeared on July 4 out of a recreational vehicle on its way from Alaska to Florida. The family on the journey stopped in Prince George for a stretch of the legs at Pine Centre Mall but the cat's departure was not discovered until another respite in McLeese Lake.
It was too late to turn back, and they were in the middle of a family move to the Sunshine State so they had to sadly push on.
Mother Detra Narrigan and daughter Ashley Curtis started a long distance search for their beloved feline friend. Using Facebook, Twitter and other communication forms, they circulated photos and information about Ollie but they knew it was a long-shot they would ever see their Ollie again.
Plans are now underway for a reunion.
"The cat has been found, yes," said Cindy Lynum, a stranger in Prince George who became their friend and local point of contact in the Ollie mystery. "Ollie was found in a Hart Highway neighbourhood. It was hanging out in a yard, a girl there noticed the cat didn't seem to have a home so she took care of it, posted a picture on PG & Area Pet Network (Facebook page), and some people there recognized Ollie. The power of social media."
Ollie was "a little thin, but otherwise healthy," said Lynum.
This cat had the bonus feature of having an identification microchip. A trip to a local vet for a checkup confirmed - via that technology - that it wasn't just a look-alike cat, it was definitely the missing meower.
It was the look-alike factor that got Lynum involved in the first place.
She didn't know any of these people, but she felt compelled to help them, "Because I have a cat exactly the same, so I noticed the 'missing' posters, I read the story in the posts and it broke my heart. I just thought of it being my cat and how there would be nobody looking for him in a strange city where we didn't know anybody, so I started looking, and I made contact with Detra and just told her I would do whatever I could to help. There was a bunch of people who were actively searching."
Many tips came in.
There were cat traps and cameras put into use, but nothing verified until the definitive Ollie appearance.
"My theory is, Ollie was heading north, back to Alaska," Lynum said.
It will now be the challenge of someone in the Florida family to come north to take repossession of Ollie and transport him back. He is clearly a cat that needs particularly secure transportation, but everyone in Florida is ecstatic that they have to make these plans for a return to Prince George, after six weeks of fearing a catastrophe.
