Megan took the day off work to bring her son Dale with her from Victoria to Nanaimo to be reunited with their missing cat Miri. (BC SPCA)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

an incredible journey

Miri the cat found in Nanaimo months after going missing from her Victoria home

Jul 8, 2022 | 5:28 AM

NANAIMO — Thanks to technology and a good Samaritan, a cat’s 120-kilometre journey across Vancouver Island has a happy ending.

Miri, a three-and-a-half-year-old blue and cream tortoiseshell cat, went missing from her family grounds in Victoria and turned up months later at the Nanaimo SPCA.

“Miri would always come back in when we called her,” says Megan, Miri’s guardian. “The day she went missing, we called her name over and over again, tried treats and searched the grounds but she was nowhere to be found.”

Realizing she was missing the family put posters around the neighbourhood hoping she would return but didn’t see hide nor hair of their furry friend for a long time.

“After we hadn’t heard anything for a couple of months, I remember thinking about putting away her food, but I thought no, not just yet and then I got a phone call from the Nanaimo BC SPCA.”

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Apparently, a kind Nanaimo citizen found Miri and brought her to the vet due to an injury caused by her collar getting caught around her head and front leg, causing a wound from the embedded collar.

Once it was treated, she was sent to the SPCA where they scanned her microchip and contacted her guardians.

The story of Miri shows the importance of having a microchip in your pets, especially if they spend time outdoors. (BC SPCA)

Megan immediately drove from Victoria to Nanaimo to pick up Miri, along with her son Dean, who was devastated when she went missing.

“We were a little shocked when we first saw her because she was so skinny. As soon as she saw us, she came right over.”

When Miri arrived home, the family said she didn’t want to go outside again for a couple of months.

She also had a bit of a change in attitude.

“She is definitely a little spicer than she used to be. She always loved to play attack, but she would never use her claws or teeth…now she smacks a little harder and will touch you with her teeth. She also purrs more often and louder now.”

While the family has no idea how Miri got from Victoria to Nanaimo, they are so grateful to have her back, thanks to a kind stranger and having her microchipped.

“We are so thankful to the good Samaritan who brought Miri to the veterinarian and the fact that we registered Miri. Without it, we would never have been reunited.”

The BC SPCA recently gifted 500 microchips, worth about $6,000, to Helping Paws in Nanaimo, which provides free basic veterinary care for cats and dogs in need.

If you already have a chip, consider registering for the BC Pet Registry program.

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