Family reunited with lost cat after 2 years and 1,500-km move to N.S. - Action News
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Nova Scotia

Family reunited with lost cat after 2 years and 1,500-km move to N.S.

A Nova Scotia family has been reunited with their beloved cat who went missing two years ago in another province.

Corbin the cat went missing from Justice Ryder's Ontario farm in 2021

A tuxedo cat with a white stripe down his nose and chest is looking up at the camera. He is sitting on his hind legs outside on a wooden deck.
Corbin, named after Bruce Willis's character in the film The Fifth Element, was a year and a half old when he went missing from Justice Ryder's farm in Ontario. (Submitted by Justice Ryder)

When an Ontario family's cat went missing from their home two years ago, they never expected they'd be reunited with him especially after moving 1,500 kilometresaway to Yarmouth, N.S.

But last weekend, Justice Ryder and her children welcomed their long-lost tuxedo cat, Corbin, back into the family.

"I'm over the moon about it, but at the same time, I'm like, where have you been, what's your story?" Ryder said.

Corbin had wandered away from their hobby farm in Rattlesnake Harbour, Ont., two years ago and never came back.

"We just thought something got him or he went into the woods. He didn't stray very far. He was never missing, ever. So when he was gone, we didn't understand," Ryder said.

The family moved to Nova Scotia six months later, and have been settling into their new home in Yarmouth for the past year and a half. They've often wondered what became of Corbin, but figured they'd never find out.

Photo shows a brother and sister holding their black tuxedo cat and smiling.
Corbin the cat has been reunited with his family in Nova Scotia after going missing two years ago when they lived in Ontario. (Submitted by Justice Ryder)

Then a few weeks ago, Ryder was scrolling on Facebook when she saw a photo of a familiar-looking cat.

At first, she thought it was one of her old photos of Corbin. But ithad been recently posted in a community groupby a woman inOntario who found a cat in her yard and was looking for its owner.

"I was like, there's no way," Ryder said. "And then I realized that she was only five minutes away from where we used to live. And then I just kind of connected the dots."

Ryder reached out to the woman, and through sharing photos and stories of Corbin's behaviour and affectionate nature, they confirmed the cats were one and the same.

A woman is sitting in a kitchen holding a black tuxedo cat closely. There are several cat magazines on the table in front of her, and a vase of yellow flowers.
Sandi Fettes, a cat lover and animal advocate, reached out to a Canadian charity for help in getting Corbin home to his family in Nova Scotia. (Submitted by Sandi Fettes)

It was a former co-worker of Ryder's, Sandi Fettes, who saw Ryder's comment on thepost and set the wheels in motion to reunite Corbin with his original family.

"I was just on a mission to figure out how to get him home," Fettes said from her home in Simcoe, Ont., where she had temporarily taken in Corbin while she came up with a plan.

Fettesstarted putting out calls to anyone she knows who might be driving east in the near future.

She came acrossCanadian Wings of Rescue, a charity with about 200 small-plane pilotsdedicated to providing free or low-cost air transport to animal welfare groups.

"They're flying out of their pocket at their own expense, and doing that out of their heartsand their love for animals," Fettes said."It's just incredible to me that there are people that actually go to so much effort."

A black tuxedo cat with a white stripe on his face is in a pouncing position with his tail held high. There are cat toys all around him.
Corbin is settling into his new home in Yarmouth, N.S. Ryder said he's just as cuddly now as he was two years ago before he went missing. (Submitted by Justice Ryder)

Once a pilot and route were arranged, Fettes took Corbinto the vet to get him neutered, microchippedand up to date on his vaccinations.

Despite not knowing what he got up to for the past two years in rural Ontario, Fettes said his demeanour doesn't appear to have changed.

"The coyotes and the traffic,there was so many risks out there. It's a miracle that he survived that long and still is just the sociable love bug that Justice always said he was," Fettes said.

Corbinlanded in Yarmouthon Sunday night.Ryder said he's settling into his new home well, and just in time for her son's birthday next week. The family is going out to buy Corbin a bow tie for the party.

"It's been a roller-coaster, but a good one," she said. "We will never be able to thank all these rescuers for everything they've done, it's truly remarkable."

With files from Vernon Ramesar

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