Ukrainian rescue cat missing in Hamilton
Feliks the cat fled shelling in war-torn Ukraine and survived respiratory illness in Poland only to go mysteriously missing in Canada — possibly from a Hamilton airport terminal.
That’s why cat rescuer Kristen Janssen is asking Hamiltonians to keep an eye out for the blueeyed short-haired white cat in the faint hope they can turn “absolute heartache” into a happy ending for Feliks’ adoptive family.
The year-old Devonshire rex has had a “rough ride” on his way to a new Maritime home, said Janssen, a breeder who has helped find new homes for dozens of rescued Ukrainian cats since Russia invaded the eastern European country.
Feliks likely used up a few of his nine lives evading bombardment in the capital of Kyiv and the western city of Lviv. Later, he was held up in bureaucratic limbo on the border of Poland for 54 hours. A bout of serious respiratory illness followed.
Finally, the fragile-looking feline arrived in Canada and Janssen said her family delivered the cat to the Cargojet terminal at Hamilton airport April 25 for the assumed last leg of his flying journey to Halifax.
“But, when the flight landed, Feliks was not on it,” said Janssen, who has offered a $1,000 reward. “It’s like he vanished into thin air.”
Shelly Wallace, the New Brunswick resident who planned to adopt Feliks, said she constantly checks online listings for lost or dead pets in Hamilton.