I’m sure you know by now the good news that Kisa (lost cat from Lakeside Greens) has been found by her elated owner, Lucille Shuhyta (my sister-in-law). Kisa went missing on the morning of December 9th and was found by her owner on December 28th at Chestermere Landing.
Many posters have been distributed around Chestermere by concerned family, friends and even strangers who joined in on the search. Something like this really pulls a community together. The Anchor newspaper posted a lost ad and photos to aid in the search, school kids took posters home to show their parents, and even the Fire Department got involved.
On the night of December 23rd, my husband (Lorne) and I were driving home on Merganser Drive West when we spotted a cat that looked a lot like Kisa. We pulled over to get a second look, but the cat disappeared into the shadows of the ditch. Terry and Gary Barker were driving behind us and pulled over to see what was up. Soon three of us were combing the snowy ditch and peering into a long culvert under Merganser Drive. We phoned Lucille and she arrived on the scene at the same time a complete stranger stopped to join in the search. None of us could get close enough to identify the cat, so Terry called the Chestermere Fire Department for their assistance. We were all thrilled to find out they were coming and split up into two groups, half of us on one side of Merganser Drive and half on the other. We wanted to make sure that when the cat decided to run, someone would be ready to catch it.
The Firefighters arrived and inserted a long pole into the culvert. The booming noise of the pipe against the metal was all it took to spook the cat. I never knew cats could fly until I saw a dark ball of fur shoot out the other end of the culvert. The Captain shouted “Cat’s Out” followed by Lucille’s disappointing “It’s not Kisa”. The feline was running so fast, no one was able to grab it. That poor cat is probably still running!
There were many reported sightings of Kisa during the 20 days she was missing. She visited: The General Store, M & M Meat Shops, Lifepath Wellness and Fauna Veterinary Clinic (before any of them had seen the poster) and reportedly dined on food left on doorsteps of condos behind the new bank building.
Lucille said she had a feeling where Kisa might be when she pulled her car behind Chestermere Station (on December 28th) and saw her standing beside Chestermere Bottle Depot. She stepped out of her car and called to her precious cat, but Kisa seemed a little reluctant to come. After some coaxing and an offering of kitty treats, she came to the familiar voice and was swept up in her owner’s loving arms. I like stories with happy endings and this one is no exception.
Sincerely,
Linda Bjarnason
