It’s hard to say for certain how a small cat made the 560 k.m. trek to Surrey in the last two years.
From McLeese Lake to Surrey, Pharfalla, a small, green-eyed short-hair tortoise shell, somehow made the long trek, which would be a five-day walk for a cat, if she took the Harrison East Forest Service Road.
She would have faced black bear, cougar and eagle threats during the journey, and would have heard the howl of coyotes at night.
This was a long, mean trek, but only a small trip compared to her original one.
The journey for Pharfalla (Italian for butterfly) began in Zurich, Switzerland, where her owners acquired her, and had a microchip installed, should she ever get lost.
The couple flew from Zurich to Seattle, then drove to McLeese Lake.
In 2014, Pharfalla went missing from the Cariboo town.
The couple feared the worst.
On Wednesday, Dec. 14, Pharfalla showed up to a home in Guildford, where she helped herself to food and claimed her new home.
The Surrey couple who were the new companions of Pharfalla, called animal control, to ensure they weren’t keeping someone else’s cat.
They told Surrey’s animal control they would happily keep Pharfalla if her rightful owners aren’t found.
The city discovered the microchip, but found it was written in a foreign coding. Figuring it was made in Switzerland, the city called the manufacturer, and discovered the rightful owners were in McLeese Lake.
The couple has been called and will arrive in Surrey on Friday to reclaim Pharfalla.
Given her excellent condition, it’s likely instead of the lengthy trek, she hopped a ride to Surrey, and was well cared for here.
But being that this is Christmas, authorities aren’t ruling out any possibilities.
