Lisa Pedersen, left, with Callum James, holding Garry the Cat. PHOTO/EMMA BROWN
From South Island to Wellington to Masterton – in five years
EMMA BROWN
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Driving a Lamborghini, becoming prime minister, and taking a trip to America were among the ideas pupils at St Patrick’s School in Masterton came up with to describe what ‘Garry the Cat’ got up to during the five years she went missing.
A month on from her return home to her surprised owners the adventurer is doing well.
Lisa Pedersen got a huge surprise and initially thought there must be a mistake when the SPCA in Whitby rang with news that Garry had been found.
It was not long after Lisa moved to the outer Wellington suburb from the South Island, that Garry pushed off.
After doing all she could to find her beloved cat, Pedersen said she had given up hope. For the past two years she’s been living in Masterton and was there when the call came.
When she realised the SPCA had got the right cat, her excitement bubbled over.
Partner Callum James said, she couldn’t stop talking.
“She was up all night,” he said.
Pedersen said she was very excited to be reunited with her cat, and was taking precautions to make sure there was no repeat disappearance.
Garry had been kept inside while she got used to the new place. However, they are looking forward to letting her safely roam around again.
“She’s got to get out of the bathtub first,” James said, which is her favourite and “safe” place in the home.
Garry also is slowly making friends with the other two cats in the house, but they are not a fan of the new cat eating all their food.
“It’s a bit of a soap opera watching them trying to interact,” Pedersen said.
“She’s done pretty well though, she put on half a kilogram in two days.”
When she was found, Garry was malnourished, had an old hip injury and giardia.
The couple set up a GoFundMe page called ‘Garry the Cat’s vet bills’ to cover costs, with anything extra to be donated to the SPCA.
The potential stories of Garry the Cat’s adventures over the five years has become the topic of many conversations.
“I reckon she found a nice little old lady,” Pedersen said. “She must have been fed, but not consistently. She’s such a scaredy cat.”
James is a teacher at St Patrick’s, and he gave the children in his class the option to work on their speeches or take a break and do some creative writing, the survival of Garry the Cat, the suggested topic.
“They have enjoyed it.” James said.
“Yeah, they’re pretty creative.” Pedersen said.
Having bought Garry from the SPCA originally, Pedersen said it was a nice circle for her to find her way back through the SPCA. She was ultimately identified by her microchip.
“We just had no idea … you hear of cats coming back after ages, but you just don’t really think it’s a thing,” Pedersen said.
