Family pet finally home after being lost five months in Alberta
It was not your average military move for the Zizek family, as they prepared to move across the country in the summer of 2022.
Mother Melissa, who had gone ahead to buy a house in Greenwood and start working at the SPCA, was flying back to Vancouver Island to pick up her youngest son, Logan. They were going to fly back to Nova Scotia together, along with the family’s two cats, Robbie and North. Husband, Sergeant (retired) Chris Zizek, and oldest son Jonathan would then drive across the country with their two dogs, Luna and Hannah.
However, it was the end of the school year in June, and the airports were busy with the summer rush of travelers. Melissa and Logan’s flight was delayed, and they were told it could be a 24- to 48-hour wait.
“It was a last-minute decision for Chris and Jonathan to take the cats,” Melissa says, since she didn’t know when her flight would be rescheduled, she had nowhere to stay and no litter box.
June 28, only two or three days into their drive from Comox to Greenwood, Chris and Jonathan stopped for the night in Medicine Hat. It was late as they pulled up to a little motel off the highway. They were settling in, bringing items in from the SUV, when Robbie escaped.
“He’s a little rambunctious!” Melissa says. She’s known Robbie his whole life, over five years: he came from a farm full of kittens in 2017 to the school where Melissa was studying to be a veterinary technician in Grand Prairie. He earned his nickname, “Robbie Rotten,” for being a bit of a “stinker,” with his wild, yet fun-loving, personality. He moved with the family from Alberta to Yellowknife, and then on to British Columbia for Chris’s retirement posting after 20 years as a vehicle technician.
At their home in Comox, Robbie loved being outside and “helping” Melissa in the garden, but he would always stay close to home. However, this time, the black and white tuxedo cat was nowhere to be seen.
After searching all night and the next day, the family made the difficult decision to leave Robbie behind in order to carry on with their move. Everyone was upset – even the other pets seemed to grieve as the road trip continued. Melissa contacted animal services in Medicine Hat and reached out on social media. Volunteers went out to search, traps were set and photos of every black and white cat in the area were sent to Melissa, to no avail.
“The people in Medicine Hat are extraordinary,” Melissa says, “and I needed people to help find Robbie. They were so helpful. They were actively sending information and pictures every week.”
She stayed in touch with a few contacts in Medicine Hat, joining a few Facebook groups for lost pets and, for over five months, the family hoped someone would find their cat.
Mid-December, one of Melissa’s contacts sent a few pictures – Robbie had been found! A couple had discovered him under the porch of their home downtown. They took Robbie to the vet, where they were able to confirm his microchip information. The vet noted Robbie was skinny and he required some deworming medication, but was in relatively good shape.
“For him to be out and survive for over five months – it was amazing!” Melissa says. “He has a kinked tail, and his ear tips are a little shredded, but you can’t keep a good cat down!”
A friend who knew Robbie well and called him “Wreck-It Ralph” joked the other animals in Medicine Hat would be relieved he’d soon be off their streets.
Melissa shared the happy news on Facebook, but the next step was getting Robbie home. She reached out to friends and strangers online, even contacting the local newspapers, to see if anyone was traveling from Alberta to Nova Scotia for the holidays. A Medicine Hat resident, Carrie Longbottom, reached out: she had a friend flying from Calgary to Halifax, and she would be willing to drive Robbie to the airport (about a 600 kilometre round trip) to meet them. The friend, who wishes to remain private, was an older woman, traveling in a wheelchair, fighting huge crowds and weather delays, but she agreed to take Robbie as a carry-on.
“It was a Christmas miracle in every sense,” Melissa says. “I’m just so grateful for such caring and kind people.”
Robbie’s flight landed December 19, despite a snowstorm in Halifax. It was late and the roads were bad, so Melissa decided to stay overnight in the city. Robbie got to go home the next day and was reunited with the whole family – just in time for the holidays.
“All of us had an emotional reaction to Robbie and the dogs being reunited,” Melissa says. “They recognized each other right away and were licking each other and cuddling. We joke that he’s more of a dog than a cat – a ‘cog.’”
Robbie has now had a few weeks to readjust to life at home after his big adventure. He started a new feeding schedule, gradually building up how much he can eat. He lost a lot of weight, and was very hungry and very tired.
“We already see a huge improvement. His eyes aren’t so sunk in and, when you pet him, he’s not just skin and bones now.”
Robbie has been getting back to his old self, running around the house with the “zoomies,” and he’s even tried to go outside with the dogs.
“I’m not ready to test fate another time. Maybe we’ll build him a catio.”
