November 2022 Pets afloat
Ella’s 13-month odyssey
DURING late September 2018, Brenda and I, together with liveaboard narrowboating friends Brian and Donna Butterfield, decided to take a short weekend cruise.
We were moored a few berths apart in the Caen Hill Marina, situated on the western reaches of the Kennet & Avon Canal. We went on the cruise to listen to a band called the Peaky Blinders playing at the Somerset Arms pub in Semington.
Planning was simplistic in the extreme. On the Friday night we’d moor up at Sells Green and enjoy a relaxing evening in the ever-popular pub, The Three Magpies. And then, on Saturday morning we’d take a leisurely cruise onwards and moor up in the pound just before Bridge 160 in Semington. That evening we’d walk to the Somerset Arms and enjoy the music.
At this stage it’s worth mentioning that Brian and Donna are ardent cat lovers and have two cats, Ella and Marley. At the time, both cats were still young and fairly new to liveaboard life. Importantly, too, the cats hadn’t yet been on a cruise, although they were totally narrowboat habituated and while moored up in the marina moved on and off Majii Mtoto of their own free will.
Prior to our departure, Brian and Donna decided that, seeing as our Semington trip would be their cats’ first cruise as such, they’d keep them inside the confines of their narrowboat until they had settled down to the engine noise and the motion of a boat under way. With this in mind, we duly departed the marina.
On the Friday night after we’d moored up at Sells Green, Marley the black cat, who is the more adventurous of the two, hopped off the boat and investigated our immediate surrounds. Ella, not so bold, chose to remain on board. Saturday morning saw us move off by about 9am and initially all went according to plan – until we reached Lock 152 at Seend.
When discussing it later, we jointly felt it was probably here where Ella had somehow pulled a Houdini and absconded from the Majii Mtoto. Perhaps while all of us were involved at Lock 152 she had either darted off the helm, or bow, without being noticed.
It was only when we reached our destination and moored up that Donna realised Ella was missing.
Thereafter and understandably so, a bit of panic set in. Lengthy walks back in the direction of Seend with lots of shouting “Ella, Ella!” elicited no response. Hedgerow inspections along the towpath came up with nothing, either. Ella’s absconding put a bit of a damper on the weekend, although we still had fun.
Little did any of us know that Ella’s odyssey would ultimately stretch to 13 months. During our return to Caen Hill Marina, Donna and Brenda walked much of the way and a lot of shouting Ella’s name took place. Periodically, dog walkers and other boaters kindly joined in. At one stage I thought my wife Brenda had also absconded, so her name was also being shouted. Luckily, I found her a few locks along as she’d just decided to walk faster.
Donna later placed posters in the surrounding villages and district showing Ella’s photo. She also joined a Facebook support group dealing with missing pets and a few weeks later she was contacted by a lady in Seend who was sure she’d seen Ella. And then the sightings became more frequent, but always at night. Attempts to entice Ella closer, or to catch her, all failed. And so the months passed by.
Ultimately, Donna received a rather bizarre report. It appeared that Ella had hopped into a farrier’s van in Seend and without the farrier knowing was transported to Poulshot where she was witnessed jumping out of the van. A lady in Poulshot then befriended the wayward feline and had managed to win her trust, take her in, and then convey her to a vet in Devizes.
Fortunately when Ella and Marley had been kittens Donna had them both microchipped and it was as a result of this, a full 13 months later, that Donna was contacted by the vet and told that Ella was safe and awaiting collection.