Mae and Jack Fredericks of Tignish, N.S., had an emotional reunion with their cat Phil on Friday, a little over a month after he got lost near the outskirts of Moncton, N.B.
The couple were on their way to see their son in Ontario in late July when Phil started meowing loudly as they were driving.
Mae opened his carrier to give him some water when he leapt out of the car and fled into some nearby woods.
“I tried for four hours but I couldn’t get him to come,” she said in an interview on Friday.
She had to make the heartbreaking decision to continue their trip without Phil, as she no longer felt comfortable leaving her husband Jack, who lives with Alzheimer’s, alone in the car.
“Afterwards I put it on Facebook and I begged people to forward it and ask if they knew anybody who lived in Moncton or around that area if they’d try to look after him until I came back,” she said.
Her Facebook post immediately caught the attention of several Monctonians who wanted to help.
“There was at least twelve people out there that day looking (for Phil)” she said.
Tammy Perrin, who volunteers with cat rescue group Carma, saw the post and immediately got to work setting traps and reaching out to people who lived near the area where Phil had escaped.
“Because (Mae) had told me (Phil) was not comfortable with strangers, I had asked her for a voice clip calling out to him,” Perrin said.
A Facebook user contacted Perrin on Tuesday, saying they had spotted the cat near Homestead Road, close to where Phil had originally run away.
Perrin finally caught Phil on Wednesday with the help of the recording, and took him into her home until the Fredericks were able to pick him up on Friday.
Mae had almost given up hope that her twelve-year- old, diabetic cat was still alive.
“To know that Tammy was working with me daily, and Phil. It was just really emotional to see that much help for someone they don’t know and a kitty they don’t know,” Mae said.
She believes the reunion is nothing short of a miracle, and said she was grateful for Perrin’s hard work.
“If it were my cat, I would hope someone would do it for me. And it’s not just about the people, it’s about the animal too. A lot of people will give up on them. Animals are an important part of our lives,” Perrin said.