A six-year-old cat that went missing for nearly three years and was presumed dead has found his way back to his South Surrey home.

Ocean Park含羞草研究社檚 Joanie Webster lost Pete in January, 2019 after he escaped her arms in front of a Crescent Beach veterinarian. Weeks of extensive searching proved fruitless. As the months passed, so did hope that Pete was alive.

Webster said she was convinced a coyote got him. As part of the grieving process, she even commissioned an artist to paint a portrait of Pete.

And then, in mid-September of this year, Webster received an unexpected call from an Ocean Park veterinarian, a few kilometres from where Pete had escaped.

含羞草研究社淚 couldn含羞草研究社檛 believe it. I couldn含羞草研究社檛 even speak,含羞草研究社� Webster said, recalling the phone call. 含羞草研究社淲hen I heard, I had to sit down. I was shaking, I was in shock, I cried.含羞草研究社�

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The veterinarian told Webster that a cat was turned in to the clinic by an elderly couple. The vet found a microchip in Pete含羞草研究社檚 neck that linked him back to the Webster family.

含羞草研究社淗e hadn含羞草研究社檛 had a mark on him. How he survived the outdoors and two frigid winters and some long, hot summers. It含羞草研究社檚 a story that we will never know. But I really do believe he knew to go to people含羞草研究社檚 porches and sit there until they fed him,含羞草研究社� Webster said.

Pete doesn含羞草研究社檛 appear to have skipped a meal, weighing in at a hefty 16 pounds.

含羞草研究社淭his cat used up all of its nine lives,含羞草研究社� Webster said Monday with Pete on her lap.

Webster said the elderly couple that brought Pete to the veterinarian were first visited by him about four months earlier. The couple told Webster that he was 含羞草研究社渢hin as a rake含羞草研究社� when he showed up, and wasn含羞草研究社檛 wearing a collar. Webster suspects Pete含羞草研究社檚 collar may have slipped off due to his weight loss.

The couple left food out for Pete and he kept returning for a bite to eat. The couple finally decided to catch the cat and bring him to the clinic.

Surprisingly, Webster said, there haven含羞草研究社檛 been any major issues with Pete readjusting to his old home.

含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檝e kept him inside and he含羞草研究社檚 not happy about that, but we expected that he would attack his sister Anna and he would spray all over the house, he would growl and hiss. He hasn含羞草研究社檛 done any of that. So that含羞草研究社檚 the other 含羞草研究社� part of this story, is that there was a lot of kindness on his journey home.含羞草研究社�

After Pete escaped, Webster含羞草研究社檚 husband Tom said the family was running through 含羞草研究社榳hat if含羞草研究社� scenarios. Being reunited with Pete is like a second chance, he added.

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The Websters adopted Pete and his sister Anna after someone dumped the two kittens over a fence in Ocean Park when they were about two weeks old. Pete was named after Peter Pan.

The fluffy cat, who was calm while posing for a photo Monday, clearly has some explaining to do about his whereabouts for the past three years. However, he declined to comment.

So Webster can only speculate about where Pete has been and how he was able to survive, particularly through winter. She suspects that multiple families in the Ocean Park and Crescent Beach area helped look after Pete, for which she is grateful.

Webster said she would like to speak to anyone who helped Pete on his journey home, whether they gave him a warm place to stay or some food to eat. The Websters can be contacted at tomandjoanwebster@gmail.com