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Anyone who has had a beloved pet go astray knows the despairing fear that their furry family member is gone forever, and for too many this is the outcome. But a Grand Manan cat has beaten the odds on a nine‑day mainland excursion, which has made him a bit of a local celebrity, thanks in part to his own survival skills and mostly to the efforts of a bunch of strangers who care about animals.
Kyle Ingersoll has had 3 1/2‑year‑old Void -- "because he's black, and I have an interest in space" -- since he was a kitten. The big fluffy cat and his brother Corusco both went missing in March while Ingersoll was in New York visiting his fiancée. Six family members had been checking in, but "nobody noticed" when Void disappeared. On his way home, Ingersoll found out the cats hadn't been seen for a few days. He called his neighbor Dan Mullen, whom Void often visited, and found out the cat had climbed into Mullen's piano delivery van one night. Loading the trailer in the dark, Mullen didn't see him, but when he opened it in Rothesay, Void bolted out and ran away.
"I don't blame anyone," Ingersoll says. Already stranded on the mainland with the ferry out of service, he went to the site and started searching. Then his uncle joined in, without success. They returned home. "When I got [to Rothesay] and saw how big the area was I wanted to give up right away," Ingersoll says. "I never thought I'd see him again, but I had to try."
He posted an ad on Kijiji offering a reward. He also went to social media groups including Saint John Newschaser and its subgroups SJNC Lost Pets and SJNC Abandoned and Stray Animals, which have a combined membership of over 20,000 and whose members were "super helpful," passing the word and putting up flyers around town. A few sightings were reported.
Ingersoll returned to Rothesay on March 26 with his brother and a couple of friends, equipped with flashlights and thermal cameras. They searched from 10 p.m., when they arrived in Rothesay, until 4:30 a.m., then got up again at 8:30 a.m. and worked until 3:30 p.m. They put flyers on cars. With a possible sighting in the woods behind Rothesay Netherwood School, they set up "view traps" with the cameras. "I filled socks with some of his favorite treats -- they're probably still there." Nothing appeared on the cameras. His fiancée Kinleigh monitored the Facebook groups, where dozens of people were keeping a lookout. Her biggest fear was that, unused to city traffic, Void would be run over. Another weekend expedition was also fruitless.
Meanwhile, Corusco stayed nearby. "Rus came home on his own," Ingersoll says. "It's less of a cool story."
Finally a woman three kilometers from the piano delivery van's destination spotted a black, fluffy cat on her deck eating garbage on March 31. The family's garage door was stuck partly open by snow, and they thought he might have been hiding there. She had seen the Facebook notice, so she called Ingersoll and sent some photos. Void's identity was confirmed. After two attempts -- the first was foiled by the family dog -- her son was able to grab him. Ingersoll was overjoyed. "He's worth the $400 reward."
Another woman took Void in for the night and in the morning put him on a Try Al's Trucking run to Grand Manan with her uncle. "Void had a lot to say" during the trip, Ingersoll says. Safe at home at last, "he sniffed my bed for 10 minutes straight and then passed out."
The couple are grateful to all the people who helped, most of whom they don't know. "It was just a lot of people who cared about kitties." Ingersoll also appreciates that Mullen told him what happened. "Lots of people would've said nothing."
Void and Rus both object somewhat to becoming indoor cats, but the "laid‑back" Void seems to be over his adventure now and has settled in. The only after‑effects are matted fur, some of which still has to be shaved off, and a slightly droopy ear. He was also spotted a kilometer from the delivery van's destination in the opposite direction from where he was found, and his experiences along the way will remain a mystery.
"It was a humbling story," Ingersoll sums up. "I learned that effort pays off." Void, who took over his chair during the interview, offered only an enigmatic stare. |
