Family still searching for mix-up moggy

More than a week after Sophie the cat escaped after she was picked up from a Motueka cattery by the wrong owner, her family haven’t given up hope of finding her.

Owner Ruth Rosamond and her husband have been out searching for the 14-year-old tabby every day for the last week.

‘‘I come home in tears every day. There is nothing you can do,’’ she said.

The family believed Sophie had been seen twice by a woman in her garden in Moffat St, near Eginton Park, Rosamond said.

On Sunday night, Rosamond sat in the park calling for Sophie, and was devastated to learn that 15 minutes after she left to look in another location, the same woman who had seen Sophie several days earlier called to say she had seen her again.

The family have since set a trap from the SPCA in the woman’s backyard with food inside, in the hope of catching Sophie – but other than a hungry hedgehog, who ate the cat food and fell asleep, they haven’t had any luck.

‘‘If she has been seen in Moffat St in two places, then she may still be there,’’ Rosamond said.

She said she was heartened by the support the family had received from the community, with people giving their time to look for Sophie or suggesting tips for finding her.

Rosamond returned home last week after spending time on the West Coast, and when she went to collect her two cats from the cattery, she was surprised to see another tabby cat in Sophie’s place. It later became clear that a mix-up at the cattery had seen Sophie taken home by the wrong owner on November 24, and she had escaped from his property.

The family are offering a $400 reward for anyone who finds Sophie. Anyone with information or photos can contact Ruth Rosamond on 027 768 9126.