Cat missing in B.C. found by Ontario owner 4 years later

In 2018, Crystal Maclean's cat Ralph bolted from the Kamloops, B.C., apartment she was sharing with a friend.

"I put up posters, I called the SPCA, I walked the neighbourhoods," Maclean said. "I connected with the postal carriers and still, no luck. Everything failed."

Maclean gave up the search, assuming Ralph, a 10-year-old Maine Coon that typically wouldn't venture far from the house, had met his demise by coyote.

"He used to come when I called him, but no luck," Maclean said.

Maclean ended up moving overseas with her husband for a job posting.

In 2020, she returned home and settled in New Liskeard, Ont.

She said she even forgot about her lost cat, bringing new pets — cat and dog — into the home. 

But in January 2022, something unexpected happened.

Maclean received a photo from her sister-in-law back in Kamloops.

"[My sister-in-law] saw a picture of what she thought was Ralph on the Kamloops SPCA Facebook page," Maclean said. "It was put up Jan. 25.

"So she sent me the picture and I thought, 'Gee, that looks like Ralph.' I mean, it's been almost four years."

Maclean contacted the Kamloops SPCA, exchanging pictures with the group. Eventually, the SPCA phoned her back.

"They said, 'This is Ralph,'" Maclean said.

Although orange cats tend to share similar features, Ralph had a distinctive black spot at the bottom of his nose, which helped the SPCA identify him, she said.