A Bromley, UK cat missing for 63 days has been reunited with his family. A kind woman had been feeding him for weeks.
Ekik Gerstenmaier, 38, and his wife had taken their first holiday in two years. Two-year-old Taco and his brother, who was adopted after the Gerstenmaier family lost their cat to aggressive cancer, are inseparable. Except Taco made his escape and left his brother behind.
A spokeswoman for the Oakley Hotel for Cats where Taco and his brother were being boarded said Taco managed to push through wires to escape. She said it was the first time in ten years since a cat had escaped.
When Erik and his wife returned from their trip and learned of Taco’s escape they were devastated. They got busy trying to find their missing family member. They hired pet detectives Animal Search UK to help find Taco. A 24-hour hotline was set up. Stacks of leaflets were distributed by volunteers (including strangers), friends and people with rescue groups like South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty.
Taco was wearing his collar at the time of his escape and the collar played a major role in Taco being found and reunited with the family. A woman called the family after spotting Taco’s collar and recognizing it from the description on the pamphlet saying she’d been feeding him for weeks.
Despite losing some weight, Taco was in good health when he returned home last week. Erik told News Shopper
It was 63 days. I am still slightly amazed he was found like this. My wife phoned me in work and my mouth fell open. We were extremely relieved.”
Back in early October, Eric told the sweet story of adopting the two cats to news media
“Taco was the first kitten to come up boldly to me. We knew we had to have him. Him and his brother are inseparable. He follows me everywhere around the house. He also loves trying to get into my son’s crib. We are beside ourselves with grief.”
A representative for Animal Search UK added “I was delighted to hear that Taco has been located. All of the family’s hard work paid off and they can relax and enjoy Christmas as a complete family once again.”
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This was very cheering news about Taco’s return. Especially as so many poor cats are never found or meet a terrible death.
I would hope that the cattery have been thoroughly reinforcing the cat enclosures. This will help their reputation.
Before Taco was found, the owners of the Oakley Cat Hotel told the poor Gerstenmaiers that they did not want any contact with them, unless Taco was found. That struck me as rather a very strange response.
Surely they ought to have been at the forefront of the hunt for Taco?
I hope Taco and his family will be having a very happy & special Christmas.