IN a tale that follows all the classic signs of a lost animal film, a beloved Margaret River cat has returned home to its family after being missing for a year.
Petrina Read was in the process of moving from their family home on Railway Terrace to a new home in Prevelly when her 14-year-old pet Rusty went missing along the way.
Ms Read said whilst they were staying at their sons house in Elder Way during the move, Rusty wandered away when they let him out briefly during the day.
The family didn’t think they would see him again, yet never gave up hope.
They drove by the street where he went missing constantly in the hope he might one day return.
It was under the Red Cross shop that two volunteers, Pam and Beth, found him, skin and bone, many months later.
Volunteer Pam Gale said they had been feeding the cat under the shop for seven weeks before finally catching him to care for him properly.
“If anything had happened to this cat it would have broken my heart,” Ms Gale said.
Ms Gale housed Rusty for eight days while figuring out how to find his real home, resisting the urge to adopt Rusty herself.
“I have never known a cat to never stop purring,” Ms Gale said.
Through the help of Michelle Fabien, a picture of Rusty was posted to the Margaret River Buy and Sell Facebook page in an attempt to locate his owners.
Within minutes, Ms Read was in touch with Ms Gale, elated to have finally found her Rusty.
Ms Read said she recognised Rusty by a small bite mark in his ear.
Knowing it was him, she burst out crying.
Ms Read made her way to Ms Gale’s house where upon arriving she sat down on the bed next to Rusty.
He looked up at Ms Read, wandered towards her and placed his paw on her shoulder and his head in her neck.
“I’m still in disbelief,” Ms Read said.
She said the family had been waiting for the day when someone might have found him and refused to give up hope.
“We always said he was a tough little bugger; I don’t know how he did it,” Ms Read said.
“This cat deserved to find his own family,” Ms Gale said.
