ZAIDA GLIBANVOIC
By ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC
A HEART-WARMING story fit for the movie theatre is the saga of Alby the cat and his five-year journey to find his way back home. It was a real-life miracle when the ginger cat Alby was reunited with his family after being lost for five years. One night in November 2018, Alby went missing from Tayla and Daniel Beyer’s Traralgon home. Alby for the Beyers was like a member of their family; he was a kisser and a coddler and an all-round loveable pet. “We had Alby for a year and a half before he went missing,” Ms Beyer said. As the pair had grown so fond of their ginger feline friend, his disappearance came as a huge heartbreak. “We were so devastated when he went missing, and he never came home,” Ms Beyer said. After his initial disappearance, Ms Beyer had her doubts and suspicions that someone might have taken him, having had issues with one of her other cats, but she never lost hope that Alby might return one day. “We were absolutely devastated when he went missing, especially my husband Daniel, they had the best bond,” she said. “We had a brush with his fur on it, and we kept his fur in a zip lock bag, and we used to have a jumper he used to sleep on, and we never ever washed it.” Attached to their little bundle of fur, the Beyers always held onto hope, but as the years wore on so did they. Until one fateful day, they received a message from the previous owner that Alby had been found alive and well. “We got the news that he had been found by the previous owner via messenger because he was microchipped with her details.” “We were just over the moon; we were just so emotional because we felt like a piece of our heart has been put back together because there was a hole left from when he went missing because we never knew what happened to him,” said Ms Beyer. He was found by some passers-by on the highway between Morwell and Moe, scared and shivering in some bushes. Alby had survived alone out on the streets for almost five years. “He could’ve been a stray at someone’s home or something and they were feeding him or, he could’ve been up in the bush trying to find his way back home, I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s a massive story to tell,” said Ms Beyer. “I wish he could speak and tell us exactly what was going on.” Ms Beyer can’t even begin to imagine what Alby got up to on his time away. With a resemblance to the feisty Dreamworks character Puss in Boots, Alby managed to fend for himself. According to Ms Beyer, Alby has been slightly protective over his food since getting home, giving the impression that he had to fight for resources out in the wild but otherwise, Alby looks to be in very good spirits. “He is getting on really well back at home, very ‘smoochy’ and very loving, we’ve got him in his own room at the moment,” said Ms Beyer. After near years away, Alby has come back to his owners who have since gotten, married, moved to Churchill and welcomed their first child Lenny into the world. Alby has always loved little children, having played with them before he went missing and lucky enough, Alby loves baby Lenny. Despite Alby’s long hiatus, he is fitting right back into the family. “We believe he does remember us because he used to do this thing with my husband and myself where he’d jump up on the bed and reach up and smooch our faces, and he’s doing the exact same thing again.” Alby had a thorough check-up at the vets, with all his bloodwork showing no signs of disease or injuries – simply some fleas and worms, which will be an easy fix. “Everything else is perfect,” Ms Beyer said. Alby will turn seven years old soon but has probably already used up all his nine lives.
