Saluting the best B.C. animals of 2019: Here are the nominees for best cat
Credit to Author: Harrison Mooney| Date: Sat, 14 Dec 2019 00:10:43 +0000
We’re back for part two of our series saluting British Columbia’s best animals of the year.
Last time, we looked at the top animal groups or duos that made the news in 2019, from a pack of feral peacocks in Surrey to a bunch of raccoons that threw the best house party White Rock has seen in years. This time, the focus is on the B.C. felines, big and small, that made headlines for typical cat stuff like applying to join the police force and disliking Metallica.
And the nominees for best cat are:
JOURNEY, THE CAT WHO STOWED AWAY
A cat from China became an overnight sensation in April after being discovered in a shipping container in northern B.C. The six-year-old tabby had been inside the 40-foot container since it left the port of Shenzhen and was delivered to Vancouver, then driven to Prince George.
“We started unloading it and noticed some cardboard in there and bits of Styrofoam on the floor,” said Darcy Legeard, who first found the cat. “We thought maybe there was a rat in the container. We got to the last two cases and, lo and behold, there was a cat hiding behind there. It just stuck its head up and looked and then snuck down behind.”
The cat, originally dubbed Stowaway but later renamed Journey, likely survived nearly a month trapped in the metal box by licking water condensation off the inside walls of the container. But it was still emaciated and in need of urgent care. Fortunately, Journey’s story went viral, and the SPCA got a massive influx of cash donations from both Canada and China to help pay the feline’s veterinary bills and prepare her for adoption.
That’s still a ways away, however, as Journey has been slow to overcome the trauma of her terrifying journey, as well as the additional trauma of waking up one day in Prince George.
SLEEPY, THE TRANQUILIZED TREE COUGAR
There is nothing adorable about an awake cougar. But look at this sleepy boy and tell me you don’t envy the firefighter who got to snuggle the blissed-out, 80-pound cat as crews rescued it from a tree in Victoria.
The cougar was seen prowling around Victoria in April, and after being treed by a dog, the big cat was hit with a tranquillizer. He fell asleep in the tree, and once he was out, Sleepy the tranquilized tree cougar was carried to the ground like a baby to its crib, and laid down gently with a goodbye pet.
Our duty crews responded to a different type of rescue this evening, members assisted Conservation Officers and @vicpdcanada with the safe lowering of a tranquilized cougar from a tree along the Gorge. The big cat was taken by Conservation Officers for assessment. #yyjnews #iaff pic.twitter.com/F2HdoNWg9s
Heck, forget envying the firefighter. I envy the cat. It’s 3 p.m. and he’s out like a light. I haven’t had a good mid-afternoon nap since my kid was born, and I’ve never been carried to bed by a strapping, moustachioed firefighter. I’ll have what he’s having, which is potent cougar drugs.
The cougar was ear-tagged and relocated, so he was in for a surprise when the tranqs wore off, but who among us hasn’t woken up in a strange place with an unexplained piercing? That’s basically a rite of passage at the nearby University of Victoria, so congratulations to this cat on his coming of age.
Last spring, the B.C. RCMP announced that they were taking applications for their new Police Cat Services unit. It was an April Fool’s joke, but that didn’t stop one aspiring pet owner from throwing their cat in the ring, so to speak. (Or maybe the cat applied all on his own. Some cats are real self-starters.)
The feline hopeful, named Penny Cirque, submitted a charming cover letter in which she noted that “the bad guys could easily be taken in by my charm and I am sure they would tell me all the bad things they have done, especially if I offered to let them stroke me when they had confessed and made amends.”
We received this application for our Police Cat Services in the mail (honestly), but there’s no return contact information! #BCRCMPPoliceCat #MaybeWeShouldDoThis pic.twitter.com/Yhn7ocecev
Clearly, this cat has seen too much Law & Order. In real life, people don’t confess that easily, even if the interviewing officer is an adorable cat.
The Mounties were quick to share the application on social media, and I don’t think they hired the cat. But it’s not too late to enlist Penny Cirque as an informant. Snitches get scritches, after all.
NAPSTER CAT, THE COUGAR THAT HATES METALLICA
So this cougar was stalking a woman near Duncan who was out for an evening walk with her dog. “It was crouched down, doing that kind of prowl, predator walk that they do,” said Dee Gallant.
In an effort to chase the cougar away, Gallant pulled out her phone and began blasting Metallica’s pro-America anthem, Don’t Tread On Me. It worked. The cat basically decided he would rather starve to death in the woods than spend one more minute following someone who likes Metallica, which, as it happens, is the exact same way I curate my Twitter timeline. Napster Cat fled into the woods, presumably to listen to Bon Iver.
The story quickly went viral, and within days, Gallant found herself on the phone with Metallica vocalist James Hetfield. The two spoke briefly about their dogs, apparently, which seemed to be the highlight of the whole bizarre experience for the Duncan woman.
“I can’t believe he knows my dog’s name,” Gallant said.
CHUBBY MURRAY, THE FURRY FURY OF SOUTH SURREY
Mounties and conservation officers descended on South Surrey this August after a reported cougar sighting near Semiahmoo Trail Elementary. There is no buddy system strong enough to fend off a cougar, and these kids have never heard of Metallica so that’s not an option either.
A witness said the cat was massive. A resident emailed Peace Arch News early that morning to report that a cat “maybe 150 lbs.” had crossed a neighbour’s path the day before. Suffice it to say, crews set out looking for a very large male.
Police found the creature minding his own business at the edge of the woods, eating lasagna and hating Mondays, and he was indeed a very large male — but only compared to other house cats. It turned out this cougar sighting was a classic fish tale, and the 150 lb. guesstimate was off by about 130 lbs. Not a cougar, just a cat that eats his feelings.
Const. Richard Wright cleared things up in a statement later in the day. “It is our firm belief in this case that the animal observed was the large domestic cat,” he said. And thus ends the tale of Chubby Murray, the furry fury of South Surrey.
And the winner is … TBA.
More to come … including the worst bears of 2019 and B.C.’s best animal of 2019.
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