And the cat came back the very next decade

The stories this cat could tell.

Phoenix, a tuxedo cat who went missing in Calgary some 10 years ago, has been reunited with his long-lost owner after some clever sleuthing and a stroke of luck.

"I never thought I'd see him again," Krista Sylvester said Thursday.The cat disappeared when he was roughly one year old, sometime around 2004, Sylvester said.

It's an absolute mystery how he's spent the last decade, but the slightly overweight kitty with the shiny coat and friendly mannerisms seems to be in perfectly good health, at least according toveterinarianElaine Murphy of the BritanniaKingslandVeterinary Clinic.

A client of that clinic brought Phoenix in for identificationafter he noticed the cat wandering around the neighbourhood.

He didn't have a microchip, andafaded tattoo from Phoenix's neuter surgery in 2003 traced to a dead end: the now-closedTrans Canada Veterinary Hospital.

Undeterred, the clinic reached out to the Calgary Humane Society, which had the ownership recordson hand.

'Crazy, unexpectedwhirlwind'

Clinic staff reached out to a rather confused Sylvester, informing her they'd found her lost cat.

"I was like, 'I don't think you have my cat,'" Sylvester recounted. At the time she was looking right at her two cats, Bowie and Idol.

"Yeah, he's black and white. ... You got him in 2003," the clinic responded over the phone.

"Oh, that must be Phoenix, who I haven't seen in about 12 years or something."

Since then, Sylvester saidit's been a "crazy, unexpected whirlwind" of activity.

• In defence of those weird molasses Halloween candies
• From Bone Town to Dead Man's Flats, explore Alberta's spooky geography
• Hoping for the best and preparing for the worst: A look inside the American Redoubt movement

"He was a little brat back then, but I remember him being really friendly and affectionate, and I'm hoping he cuddles a lot."

Murphy said it's clear from Phoenix's good condition that he's been living in someone's home, though it's unclear who that might be.

And though she's thrilled to be reunited with her long-lost pet, Sylvester said she'd consider surrendering him to the person or people who have been responsible for his care in the years since she last saw him.

"If somebody really had him for the last 10 years, and they're heartbroken ... it'd be hard to give him back, but it'd be the right thing, I think.

"If no one comes forward, I'd happily keep him, because he's adorable, and I'm sure I'mgonnafall in love with him anyway."

The self-described "big rock fan" has even toyed with the idea of changing his name to better align with her other two feline housemates.

"I should name him Jagger, but I'm pretty sure his name's Phoenix still."