If Smudge the cat could talk, he’d tell stories about his adventures, during an unexpected week long visit to the Hub City.
Earlier this month, Tracy Myers and her family were moving across the country from Newfoundland to Alberta.
She says they stopped in Moncton by the Hampton Inn on Mapleton Road to switch drivers. A few minutes up the road, they discovered that 3 year old Smudge the cat was missing, “We just figured he was hiding somewhere, but then we realised he wasn’t there. I called the hotel, and within ten minutes, they were already out looking for him.”
Myers says they searched for around five hours, but unfortunately due to commitments in Alberta, they had to leave.
“We had to leave that night because we were trying to get to Alberta for doctors appointments and interviews. I remember walking into the hotel and sobbing, because I was very upset that we had to leave. I also remember thinking that he could be out wandering for a week. It was good weather, and a nice grassy field, prime location for him to go and explore.”
She says the hotel staff and others in the community promised to continue the search. They put out food and water, and Smudge was spotted every night, but Myers says they weren’t able to get to him.
Myers also posted a photo of Smudge on social media in the hopes someone would spot him.
Finally a week later, after numerous sightings of cats that looked just like him, he was caught in a live trap near the Hampton Inn.
“It was 5:30am Alberta time when I got the call. I didn’t hear my phone ring, it was on silent, but for some reason I woke up. When I did, I saw the call. I called them back immediately, and they told me they had him. I cried a little and had chills and was very excited.”
Myers says a woman cleaned Smudge up, and he stayed with her for a few days, before he was loaded onto a plane a few days later and flew to Calgary.
Myers says he was always a pretty inquisitive cat, “We come from a very small town, so he liked to roam sometimes. He liked to fish, he was a true Newfoundland cat. He would go to the beach and go fishing. He obviously didn’t want to be cooped up.”
It’s not his first time wandering off. Myers told us, last winter, in minus 27 degree weather in Newfoundland, he went missing for a couple of days.
Myers joked, “He really is a cat with nine lives, but he only has about seven left.”
She says he is doing great, but they are keeping a closer eye on him to ensure he doesn’t wander off again.
