When black cat Odin went missing from his New Zealand home, his mother searched the entire realm of her neighborhood and beyond to no avail. Odin had taken after the god of the same name and gone wandering. But when an all-powerful deity takes a journey, no one worries for his safety. When a precious kitty goes missing, his mom worries a lot!
During his 20 months on walkabout, did Odin team up with Loki for some trickery and fun? Perhaps he sought out Thor for some roughhousing and feasting. Wherever Odin wandered, he’s finally home thanks to the kindness of strangers and a microchip.
Odin Escapes
Odin the cat’s epic journey began almost two years ago when he and his mom, Audrey Ross, moved to the city of Lincoln, located in New Zealand’s Canterbury region. To help her boy adjust, Audrey kept Odin in a room where he could take some time to decompress from moving stress before checking out the entirety of his new digs. But cats are slippery, and Odin made a break for it.
As Audrey explained, “He must have got outside and it was hours before I realised he was gone.”
The worried cat mom searched the area while posting missing notices in windows and stuffing them in mailboxes.
“I got reports galore from people seeing big black cats, people are amazing letting me know,” shared Audrey. “But every single one I checked out was a different cat, there’s a lot of big black cats.”
The weeks passed with no Odin, and Audrey often wondered if her boy was surviving in the wilds. She hoped so because “he used to be good at hunting, bringing home big rats.”
It turns out Odin was still a fine hunter, but Audrey wouldn’t know this for quite a while.
Surprise Call
With 20 months gone, life without Odin seemed to be the new order of things, but a phone call from Lincoln Village Vets brought a welcome surprise.
A woman who lived more than six miles away from Audrey brought Odin to the clinic after finding him and feeding him. When staff scanned him for a microchip, Odin’s identity was revealed! No more wandering for this boy. He was going home after almost two years missing.
Odin’s health was good, so he had been doing just fine hunting. But the outdoor life can leave cats on the thin side as their meals are not regularly scheduled events. Though healthy, Audrey reported Odin was no longer the “9kg behemoth” he was before his disappearance.
But, the delighted cat mom will certainly help Odin gain those pounds back. Maybe he won’t ever tip the scales at 19lbs. again, but there’s sure to be a bounty of treats in his future. And how does Audrey feel about having her good boy home? She’s so thankful for the kindness of the woman who found her cat, and she’s simply “over the moon.”
Odin seems to be just as happy, too, because he’s sharing lots of snuggles with his family.
H/T: www.odt.co.nz
Feature Image: Star News Rise Up Christchurch/Facebook
