Globetrotting cat makes journey from Central B.C. to Surrey

Stray cats are not that uncommon, but one that turned up at an animal shelter in Surrey would likely have some unusual tales to tell if it could talk.

The tortoiseshell was picked up by staff at the Surrey Animal Resource Centre on Dec. 14, from a Guildford couple who found the stray helping itself to food at their home.

The couple wanted to keep the cat, but first wanted to ensure the stray did not already belong to someone else.

Staff at the animal shelter found a microchip in the cat's ear, but it didn't match up with any hits in the local data base, according to operations manager Kim Marosevich.

International connections

With a bit of sleuthing they were able to determine the microchip was of Swiss origin, as was the cat, which turned out to be an eight-year-old named Pharfalla.

As it turned out, some years before Pharfalla had flown from Switzerland via Seattle and Calgary before being trucked to McLeese Lake to live with its owners in Central B.C.

But then in June 2014, Pharfalla went missing without a trace, until the cat turned up in Surrey last week.

It remains unclear how the adventurous feline made the 560 kilometre journey from McLeese Lake to Surrey, but despite the lengthy trek and extended time on her ownshe is in excellent condition, staff say.

Pharfalla's owners inMcLeeseLake have been contacted and will be driving down to Surrey on Friday to collect their globetrotting feline, said Marosevich.