Top animal stories from CBC K-W in 2016

So many of our listeners and readerslove stories and YouTube videos about animals.

This year, we had some stories that were tragic, some that were sweet and some that were downright confusing.

Here's a rundown of some of the more popular animal stories you heard and read about from CBC K-W.

A deer crashes into a Tim Hortons

In September, a deer crashed through the side window of a Tim Hortons on Victoria Street North in Kitchener.

"We thought a car was coming through," one staffer told CBC News. "Something big but we never thought it would be an animal."

The coffee shop was shut down temporarily while the window was boarded up. The deer was injured and had to be humanely euthanized.

Kitten saved by police

After a night shift, a man in Guelph just wanted to go home, but when he saw a small black kitten dart under his car, he knew he couldn't start the engine.

The humane society was closed, so he called police for help.

Const. Mike Gatto told CBC News officers were able to lure the kitten out from under the hood of the car using one of their lunches.

"There's lots of little hiding spots up there," Gatto said. "If you're driving it could fall out, for one. Or it could get caught in the belts. It could get burned by the heat of the engine. It's certainly lucky that this person saw the cat."

Readers also got a kick out of the police spokesman's name Gatto means cat in Italian.

Rabies in cows

The Arctic fox strain of rabies was found in a calf in Perth County in January. Then in November, the Perth District Health Unit said a cow from a working dairy farm in Elma Ward, near Listowel, had tested positive for rabies. (A skunk also tested positive in April.)

After the second cow tested positive, the health unit advised people to keep their pets vaccinated against rabies and suggested parents teach children to stay away from wild animals, pets they don't know or animals acting strangely.

The cases came after rabies made a resurgence in the Hamilton area, although it was not clear there was any direct link.

Racehorses killed in barn fire

It was a tragedy for many in the horse racing industry more than 40 racehorses died in a barn fire atClassyLane Stables inPuslinch.

• Barn fire inPuslinch, Ont., kills more than 40 racehorses
• Classy Lane Stables rebuilds after barn fire that killed 43 horses
• Electrical failure to blame for January 2016Puslinchbarn fire

"These horses are part of your life, rather just a commodity that you ... go and work with every day. They're more than that," said Ben Wallace, who owned or partially owned 12 of the 17 horses he trained, all of which died in the fire on Jan. 4.

It was later determined an electrical failure was to blame for the blaze.

How to train your cat

It sounds pretty adorable take your kitten to kindergarten but animal trainer Ellie Ross, owner of Wag and Train in Kitchener, said training your kitten might just save it from going to a shelter later on.

Kitten classes allow kittens to interact and socialize with other people and other kittens, so maybe in a few years, they don't hate it if another cat, or dog, or baby is brought into the home.

Along with kitten kindergarten, Ross is going to have a course for those who decide to get backyard chickens, because you can train a chicken apparently to do the cha cha.

And speaking of backyard chickens

Backyard barnyards

Kitchener city council approved backyard chickens in November, limiting residents to four chickens per home.

But over in Guelph, where backyard chickens, geese and ducks are already permitted, staff have proposed allowing sheep and goats "under certain conditions."

We don't know does that sound like a baa-d idea?

Going on a beaver hunt

Just before Canada Day, there was word there might be a beaver in Columbia Lake in Waterloo.

Our own Max Leighton went to investigate with Nick Manning, who was working as a spokesman for the University of Waterloo at the time.

Thisis well worth a listen:

Quails, hedgehogs, chinchillas oh my!

In August, the Guelph Humane Society took in 60 animals after an investigation at a residence.

"This is a new one for us to have hedgehogs and chinchillas and birds and rabbits. Normally we're dealing with large intakes of cats or dogs," society executive director Adrienne McBride said at the time. "We're excited to learn how to best look after quails and chinchillas."

There were some pregnant bunnies and two chickens in the mix as well, but staff remained optimistic all the animals would find new homes.

Who's a good boy?

General earned a kibble feast in October when the member of Guelph Police's K9 unit helped track down three suspects in just 73 hours.

On Oct. 17, General tracked the driver of a hit-and-run in Cambridge. On Oct. 18, the furry member of the force followed its nose to find a break-and-entersuspect in Guelph. Then, on Oct. 20, General and its handler, Const. Greg MacArthur, helped Waterloo Regional Police track down a break-and-enter suspect in Cambridge. In all three cases, General got its man.

Cat shot with pellet gun finds home

Humane society officials are still investigating after a brown tabby cat was shot in the face and torso with a pellet gun in Breslau in early December. The cat, found on Shantz Station Road, had seven pellets embedded in its face and two more in its body. It was nicknamed Barin by staff, which means noble fighter.

Just before Christmas, there was good news for the wounded cat it found a new home.

Lost snake not lost

We saved what is perhaps the oddest animal story of the year for last. It's the story of a python or maybe it was a boa constrictor? that was reported missing to the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society.

But after two weeks, it was determined the snake hadn't gone anywhere at all.

• Burmese python on the loose in Kitchener, confirms KW Humane Society
• Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society still seeking escaped python's owner
• Kitchener's Burmese python mystery comes to an end: Snake is at home, says humane society

It was thought that a two-meter long Burmese python had escaped its home in the Mill Street and Courtland Avenue area of Kitchener on July 26. The humane society issued a warning and asked people to keep eyes peeled for the slithery pet.

When it was believed to be on the loose, CBC KW's Colin Butler went to the neighbourhood to talk to residents:

The humane society had trouble contacting the owner although a woman appeared on a Hamilton television station to say it was her snake and it had coiled itself up under her fridge.

It took two weeks, a City of Kitchener bylaw officer and a visit to the home for humane society officials to finally confirm with the snake's owner thatthe snake was indeed inside.