If cats could talk, then Twilight would have a hair-raising tale to tell of being catnapped from her Cache Creek home, left in the wilderness 20 miles away, and ending up at the SPCA in Port Coquitlam after being rescued by Good Samaritans.
The eight-year-old pure black cat was last seen outside her Cache Creek home on Sept. 21. Angela Taylor, Twilight害羞草研究所檚 owner, says that a week earlier a neighbour she takes care of reported that a man had pulled up in a car and picked up Twilight, then dropped the cat and sped off when he saw the neighbour watching.
害羞草研究所淥n Sept. 21 we didn害羞草研究所檛 see Twilight anymore,害羞草研究所� says Taylor. 害羞草研究所淭here were bears in the neighbourhood at the time, and people told us 害羞草研究所楽he害羞草研究所檚 bear food.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 However, Taylor couldn害羞草研究所檛 help thinking that someone had come back and stolen Twilight, their beautiful house panther who would go with the family for walks around the neighbourhood.
The family had rescued her in 2015, when she was 18 months old. 害羞草研究所淲e had moved here from the coast in 2015, and I had promised my daughter Kendra we could have a cat. I saw an ad for Twilight and her kittens, and I phoned up and asked about Twilight. The woman said that most people wanted the kittens, but I said we wanted Twilight.害羞草研究所�
Taylor picked up Twilight from Kamloops, then picked up Kendra, who was five at the time. 害羞草研究所淪he knew she was going to get a rabbit or a cat, but she didn害羞草研究所檛 know when. All my animals just happen when they happen.
害羞草研究所淪he heard a meow, and was so excited. 害羞草研究所業s that real? Is it for me?害羞草研究所� I turned the crate with Twilight in it around so she could put her fingers in, and Twilight started rubbing up against them. It was love at first sight. She picked Kendra. She害羞草研究所檚 her human.害羞草研究所�
After Twilight vanished, Kendra was inconsolable, crying every day about her missing meow meow. 害羞草研究所淜endra does her homework with Twilight, and the cat sleeps on her bed.
害羞草研究所淓very day she would ask if I害羞草研究所檇 heard anything. I didn害羞草研究所檛 want to give her false hopes, but I told her that there were stories about cats coming back two months later. I literally said 害羞草研究所楾wo months.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
Taylor never stopped hoping that Twilight would be found, and put numerous posts online on a missing pets site. In the meantime, the family adopted another cat, Cheese, to go with the family害羞草研究所檚 remaining pets: Harold the cat and Bella, a chocolate lab.
Then, on Nov. 13, Taylor got a phone call out of the blue.
害羞草研究所淎 woman said 害羞草研究所楿m, Angela Taylor? It害羞草研究所檚 the Port Coquitlam SPCA, and we think we have Twilight here.害羞草研究所� I was just a blubbering idiot when I heard that.害羞草研究所�
When Taylor got Twilight in 2015, she had a microchip put in the cat害羞草研究所檚 neck so that they wouldn害羞草研究所檛 lose her. She is now extremely grateful she made that decision: 害羞草研究所淚f it wasn害羞草研究所檛 for that she would just have been a stray cat brought in to the Port Coquitlam SPCA, and she would have gone to whoever adopted her.害羞草研究所�
The story of how Twilight got from Cache Creek to Port Coquitlam was an amazing one.
害羞草研究所淎 couple found her at the Red Hills rest stop on Highway 1, about 15 miles south of Cache Creek. They pulled in and she was meowing and crying, and walked right up to them. It害羞草研究所檚 in the middle of nowhere, and she was obviously a domesticated cat, and they thought 害羞草研究所楾his isn害羞草研究所檛 right.害羞草研究所� So they picked her up and took her home with them to Port Coquitlam and took her to the SPCA there.害羞草研究所�
When Taylor got off the phone with the SPCA she called Kendra. 害羞草研究所淚 said 害羞草研究所楪uess what, they害羞草研究所檝e found Twilight!害羞草研究所� and she gave a happy cry. There were tears pouring down my face.害羞草研究所�
However, the family was not able to get Twilight back home right away.
害羞草研究所淚 went down to the coast on Nov. 14, but got stopped by the washout at Tank Hill on Highway 1. I went back to Spences Bridge and took Highway 8 to Merritt, where I had to get a battery. They told me they couldn害羞草研究所檛 put it in, but I roughhoused the guy into putting it in. I was driving around hell害羞草研究所檚 half-acre, and the weather was stopping me, but I didn害羞草研究所檛 care. I was trying to do everything I could to get down and rescue my cat.害羞草研究所�
By then, however, flooding had closed all the routes to the coast, and Taylor was forced to head back to Cache Creek on the only open highway. 害羞草研究所淚 left the house a 8 a.m. and got home at 9:30 p.m.害羞草研究所�
Thankfully, her older daughter Natalia was on the coast and able to pick up Twilight. 害羞草研究所淪he was an evacuee with the cat for a week, and they were finally able to make it up late on Nov. 21.害羞草研究所�
It was an emotional reunion for everyone.
害羞草研究所淭wilight was really excited to get home. She was saying hi to Kendra, butting heads with her. It was amazing. We had a group hug with the cat in the middle, and Harold popped his head in. Then all of a sudden Cheese popped his head in, and gave a big hiss, and Twilight gave a meow and hissed at Cheese.害羞草研究所�
In all the excitement they had forgotten Cheese, who was new to Twilight. Taylor says that the animals have all come to an understanding, now that Twilight has been back for a few days.
The SPCA said that someone had been feeding Twilight, as the cat was not malnourished. 害羞草研究所淚 told her that she had been chubby. She害羞草研究所檚 skinny now.害羞草研究所�
Taylor thinks that Twilight got mad and clawed whoever had taken her, so they threw her out of the car, leaving her to be found by the Good Samaritans who pulled in to the rest stop. She adds that it isn害羞草研究所檛 the first time Twilight has proven that she害羞草研究所檚 a survivor.
害羞草研究所淲e almost lost her twice during the 2017 wildfires. We were evacuating from Cache Creek, and I was getting Kendra and me ready. In the confusion Twilight got loose, and she was so scared she ran under the deck. By the time we realized what was going on we were surrounded by fire, but my niece managed to grab her by the tail and pull her out.
害羞草研究所淭hen, while we were waiting at the ESS centre in Kamloops, she got off her leash and jumped in the river. My nephew had to jump in and get her.
害羞草研究所淭wilight is such a lucky cat. She has more than nine lives.害羞草研究所�
Taylor has no idea how long Twilight was out in the wild, but is convinced she is trying to tell them about her adventures.
害羞草研究所淪he害羞草研究所檚 a very vocal cat, and we swear she害羞草研究所檚 trying to tell us stories about what happened between here and where she was found. It害羞草研究所檚 amazing to have her back; I害羞草研究所檓 grinning from ear to ear. We害羞草研究所檙e so happy and so blessed.害羞草研究所�
editorial@accjournal.ca
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