MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Following several unsuccessful searches for her beloved cat after he went missing on 11 June 2018, a Dana Bay resident was overcome with joy and wonder when six years later, a photo of him popped up on Facebook.
When Abigail de Bruyn (24) logged into Facebook last Tuesday, 13 August, the first thing she saw was a post, accompanied by a photo of a fluffy black cat with white on his chin, that had been found in the Dana Bay area.
"I knew it was him. I knew it was my cat Precious," said De Bruyn, who immediately began trying to find the person who made the post and then she confirmed Precious was safe at the Garden Route SPCA Mossel Bay.
"I thought he had found a new home, or someone took him in, or that the worst had happened and that he might be dead," she said.
De Bruyn was 17 years old when she adopted Precious. He was just six weeks old. The pair quickly became inseparable. He was her little shadow, following her everywhere she went. When he went missing, she said her heart was broken and she put up a post on the Dana Bay Facebook group.
Abigail de Bruyn and Precious. Photo: Chelsea Pieterse
Two months after his disappearance, a resident living nearby posted on the group that he had seen Precious in his yard. De Bruyn immediately rushed over and spotted him, but was unable to coax him back to her. She had even tried a cat trap without any luck.
For months, she continued to search for him, even laying a cat trap for him, without success. In September 2019, she posted again on Facebook, asking people to let her know if they had seen him. She didn't receive any feedback.
"I lost all hope of finding him again and carried this in my heart until 13 August," she said. It is believed Precious lived outside, fending for himself over the past six years. After confirming Precious was at the SPCA, De Bruyn rushed over there.
SPCA Mossel Bay branch manager Elize Goosen said the SPCA had gone to fetch him that morning after a woman called, saying she had found the cat and asked the SPCA to fetch him.
Precious settled on Abigail de Bruyn's lap. Photo: Chelsea Pieterse
"Poor Precious was very stressed and scared, as one can expect. He was hissing at us out of fear, but we safely got him into an enclosure with food, water and a nice clean bed," said Goosen.
"His fur was extremely matted and he had an injury on his eye and nose. The lady that trapped him put a photo of him on a public forum and the owner phoned us not even an hour later. We advised her to come in and see for herself if was her cat, and low and behold, it was her Precious," she said.
De Bruyn said when she first saw Precious that Tuesday morning, she started crying.
"When the lady from the SPCA opened the cage I let him sniff my hand and I started petting him. I was unsure if he would still remember me. The lady then opened the other side of the cage as well and that's when I pulled him closer and held him. I just started crying again. I told him I missed him so much and that I couldn't believe he was still alive and that he is finally back," she said.
Goosen confirmed that when De Bruyn opened the enclosure and put her hand on him, "it was as if he just sighed and relaxed".
Abigail de Bruyn and her cat Precious. Photo: Supplied
She said: "She picked him up and cradled him and he was absolutely calm."
De Bruyn said the feeling of being able to hold him again after six years made her "heart feel like it was going to explode from happiness".
She said: "I feel like this is a miracle. With all my heart, I would like to thank Leonie Venter Hyman (the woman who found her cat), the WhatsApp group, Pets in Distress, the Dana Bay community for providing him with food and the SPCA for treating him and getting him back to me safely.
“This cat of mine will never know cold or hunger again. He will always have something to eat, a warm place to sleep and lots of love.” She added that Precious has been adjusting to life indoors well and has been giving her cuddles and love.
Goosen said the staff at the SPCA in Mossel Bay have never seen a reunion after such a long period of time.
"We are so happy to have been part of this amazing reunion and we just wish that we could see this more often. We booked Precious in for sterilisation as well as putting a microchip in him. While Precious was still under anaesthesia one of our staff brushed and cut out as much of his matted fur as possible to make him more comfortable," she said.
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