THE PURR-FECT SUPPORT WHEN MOST IN NEED
The catastrophe of a missing cat sent our household into a panic but one Gold Coast Facebook page proved a ‘lost’ can be turned into ‘found’ at the click of a button
IF there’s one thing that’s helped us handle this pandemic, it’s our pets.
Nothing soothes anxiety like a good furry cuddle, nothing distracts from despair like cavorting with creatures in the back yard and there’s no better exercise buddy than a four-legged friend.
It’s the reason that pandemic pet numbers have skyrocketed faster than Sydney’s Covid cases.
Which is why I was shattered when we lost our cat Senorita this week.
Our tiny little bundle of grey fur, green eyes and endless purrs simply disappeared one morning and our entire family – even the dog – was left devastated.
Twenty-four hours after her last sighting, I walked the neighbourhood streets, dreading every corner lest I see a flat cat.
Fortunately, the Coast’s roads were clear and so I commenced doorknocking every neighbour, ringing every nearby vet and posting on all of the community pages.
Thirty-six hours later and my head was trying to tell my heart to let go but I just couldn’t believe she was really gone.
And it turns out my heart was in the right place … because my son – famous for losing rather than finding family treasures – discovered Senorita, sealed and stuck inside a daybed drawer in my very own bedroom. Don’t ask me how she got in there, or why she never once meowed, or how she held her bladder for two days, but there she was – safe, sound and fast asleep.
Meanwhile, there was the animal equivalent of an amber alert blasting out on my social media … my cat had committed a feline-y charge of public shaming.
As I edited every “lost” post to “found”, I realised there were lessons to be learned. Aside from never trusting a cat.
And my greatest gratitude goes not to my son (let’s be honest, he already owes me his life) but to the amazing volunteers who run the Gold Coast Lost and Found Pets page on Facebook.
Not only did they post my (adorable) cat photo and “missing” information within minutes, they also provided me with pages of phone numbers to call (Animal Welfare League, council pound etc) as well as tips of how to find what has been lost (including to check inside drawers … oops).
So to distract myself from worrying about the fate of my feline (who was all the while snoozing without a care in the world), I chatted to Dell Palmer, who has been working with the page since 2011.
What she told me truly gave me hope for humanity – not to mention for the animal kingdom.
The social media page was set up a decade ago in the wake of the Brisbane floods, when so many pets were separated from their owners. Dell herself was one of the first volunteers, and while she’s now retired from full-time work, she has never stopped with this passion project.
“I saw the stories of all the dogs going missing in the flood and it was so distressing, so I started followed the page. They asked for volunteers one day and I decided to put my hand up – even though I knew nothing about Facebook.
“We have a team of about 10 volunteers. We all just do what we can so that we can be as quick as we can to post a pet as missing – or found – as soon as we get the message.
“We also follow up on tips and comments and check other pages.
“We have a budget of zero, and that’s how it should be. We’d rather people donate a tin of pet food or make a donation to an animal charity. We’re here just to try to reunite owners and animals.”
But sadly, not every story ends as happily as Senorita’s. While Dell says passing on bad news to owners is awful, it’s never having an answer at all that is the worst.
Still, she says the past proves that there is often cause for hope.
“Some of the reunions are just incredible – one cat was missing for 18 months before it was found … skinny and hungry but alive.
“It was found at the local school … for some reason cats just love school yards. They also love stormwater drains – they think they’re little ninjas.
“We had a whippet dog missing for nine days just the other week. We had sightings from Mount Nathan to Southport. We’re not sure where she went exactly but when she came home her feet were sore.
“When you get to make those ‘found’ calls, that’s what keeps you going.”
And in these dark days of masks, lockdowns, anger and abuse, scrolling through the Gold Coast Lost and Found Pets page is like chicken soup for the soul … a vegan version, of course.
Just as pets are our comfort in this pandemic, seeing the care and consideration offered not just by the page’s volunteers but all the kind comments from helpful residents is a reminder that animals are so often what unites us.
Witness the anger at the anti-lockdown protester who punched a horse. We may not all agree on the appropriate Covid response but nobody truly human accepts animal abuse.
So to those Lost and Found volunteers, to those who kindly commented and shared Senorita’s post, to my neighbours and friends: thank you, from the bottom of my heart. It meant the world to me(ow).
Sadly, not every story ends as happily as Senorita’s