Everyone thought she was a goner but Flirt the cat actually did get back to her family Wednesday night after a harrowing ordeal during the Fort McMurray wildfire disaster, which took place more than two months ago.
Flirt went missing back on May 2 as her Fort McMurray family scrambled to flee the wildfires riding on a side-by-side ATV. During the ride, the cat jumped right out of the daughter’s arms and the family was unable to catch her before escaping while they could.
The family’s home did end up burning down and they believed Flirt must have died in the fire.
However, Rhonda Werbicki, whose sister’s family Flirt belonged to, decided to never give up on trying to find their furry friend.
Werbicki, who contributes spare time to animal shelters, always had a special bond with Flirt. It was she who found Flirt a home with her sister and her family.
Although she lives out in Saskatchewan, Werbicki networked with some people in Fort McMurray through social media and had a woman set up a wildlife camera on her sister’s property and also some sardines in the hopes of baiting the cat toward the camera.
Never a stranger to a snack, Flirt finally crept up in front of the camera, much to her family’s delight. Later on, an animal control officer set up a trap and caught Flirt so that she could be reunited her with her family.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Werbicki expressed. “I really, honestly just couldn’t believe that this cat who is Miss Priss, survived.”
“Honestly, it gives hope to everybody out there,” Werbicki added. “If Miss Flirt can survive this, there’s hope for any other animal out there.”
On Wednesday night, Werbicki flew a ll the way to Fort McMurray to pick up Flirt and bring her to her home in Saskatchewan.
Flirt’s family are currently staying with relatives in Gimli, Manitoba until their home in Fort McMurray is rebuilt. Once they return to the northern Alberta community, Flirt will finally be reunited with all of them.
