When Lisa van Vliet’s cat Bear disappeared from her home in Surrey, British Columbia on May 26, she was afraid she’d never see him again. Thanks to a pet detective, a bloodhound, and a service called Petsearcher, Lisa and her missing three-year-old cat have been reunited.
It’s a bit unusual for a cat owner to camp out in the backyard of her home or in an empty lot but that’s what Lisa did. She was afraid a coyote would show up and she’d have to act quickly to save Bear. Several had been spotted in the daytime and was
Lisa has good neighbors who allowed her to search for Bear and to hang out on their property as she called her cat. She kept in touch with those in her neighborhood using the Block Watch program.
In an interview with City News, Lisa stated
“Two nights in I thought, this is not good. He’s lost or eaten and I just need closure. We all had just gotten to know each other, and they let me in their yards. ‘Bear! Bear! Bearsy!’ [I was] calling, calling, calling for days. I mean, I was screaming. I wanted him to hear me and come back.”
When searching and camping out proved unsuccessful, that’s when Lisa contacted Petsearchers, Canada who brought in two trackers and a bloodhound to track Bear by scent. The bloodhound sniffed Bear’s harness and was able to track Bear to an overgrown lot north of 32 Avenue near 144.
Bear looked at them and was so terrified he ran off. After that, a number of traps were set and a thermal camera was used to track Bear’s movements. He was finally captured on June 2.
I hope Lisa will keep a better watch over Bear because it’s a dangerous world out there for a cat. Bear suffered minor injuries during the seven days he spent on his own. He was sunburned and had a few scrapes along with a small hole in his neck.
Below is the story of another cat tracking dog. You may also click here.
