Weezy was put into a cat carrier in Whitehorse before Dianne and Terry Theriault began a 1,500-kilometre drive Wednesday back to their home in Alberta, where the cat will be reunited with her owners. (CBC)A family in Peace River, Alta., will soon be reunited with Weezy, the cat who somehow travelled more than 1,100 kilometres north to Whitehorse over the past eight months.
Weezy was first spotted in Whitehorse about two weeks ago by an apartment tenant, who fed the stray before turning her over to the city pound.
Weezy was such a friendly cat that she readily jumped into the vehicle of the city bylaw officer who picked her up, said officer Brian Simmer.
The bylaw officer tracked down the family through a microchip in the cat's ear.
"The officer was able to make a few phone calls and find out that the owner was located down in Peace River," Simmer told CBC News on Wednesday.
Strangers offer ride home
Dianne and Terry Theriault of Grande Prairie, Alta., who were vacationing in Whitehorse and read of Weezy's incredible journey in the newspaper, offered to drive the cat back to Alberta.
The couple — with feline in tow — began the two-day drive from Whitehorse on Wednesday. They will have to drive more than 1,500 kilometres of highway to reach their home in Grande Prairie.
"I hope the cat likes bluegrass music, because that's what we're going to play all the way down," Terry Theriault said with a laugh. "It will either put her to sleep … ."
"Or make it happy," his wife said.
Arrange for reunion
The Theriaults meet Weezy the cat at the Whitehorse bylaw office before their long journey home to Alberta. (CBC)When the Theriaults get to Grande Prairie, they'll arrange for Weezy's reunion with her owners, including a young girl.
"We had a dog, a little poodle, for 13 years," Dianne said. "And it would be about two years ago [that] we just put her down, and we still miss her.
"This little girl, I don't know how old she is, but it's just the thought that 'hey, you know, we missed our dog.' I could not imagine what she's going through, and now she knows that it didn't just die."
Dianne said she talked on the phone with the girl, who sounded very happy to hear Weezy is coming home.
Journey a mystery
Whitehorse is about 1,142 kilometres northwest of Peace River, according to Natural Resources Canada.
Dave Pruden, Whitehorse's acting bylaw manager, said officers in the department were surprised to learn Weezy had come from so far way, but similar cases have cropped up before.
"It has happened maybe once about every five years, " Pruden said. "We get an animal from a different area, whether it's B.C. or Alberta.
"A lot of times, it's an animal that's travelled up in a motorhome that's maybe gotten away from somebody."
While some have speculated that Weezy might have hitched a ride with someone travelling between Alberta and Yukon, how the cat ended up in Whitehorse may always be a mystery. Weezy is not talking.
However, she appeared no worse for wear, despite her eight-month journey.
Corrections and Clarifications
- An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Weezy's owners came from Peace River, Alta., to Whitehorse to retrieve the cat. In fact, a couple from Grande Prairie, Alta., offered to drive Weezy back to Alberta on the family's behalf. July 7, 2010 | 2:32 p.m. MT
Share Tools
Latest North News Headlines
- Head of Nunavut Impact Review Board not re-appointed
- John Duncan, the minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, has decided against a recommendation by the Nunavut Impact Review Board to re-appoint its chair, Lucassie Arragutainaq. more »
- Yukoners need to change poverty perceptions, says report
- A new report on poverty in Yukon is calling for action from the territorial government. However, poverty activists are also calling for Yukoners to adjust their attitudes. more »
- Iqaluit man pleads guilty to drug and sex offences
- A sentencing hearing is underway today in Iqaluit for the man who once ran the so-called 'Qikiqtaaluk Compassion Society' where he sold marijuana. more »
- Investigation finds 3 electoral violations in N.W.T. riding
- There were three violations of the elections act during last fall's N.W.T. election. All three happened in the Monfwi riding. more »
Top News Headlines
- Employment Insurance review boards to be scrapped
- The federal government is scrapping two review boards used by people appealing decisions made about their employment insurance. more »
- Teens share bullying tales in confession booth
- Raw stories about bullying emerged when a video booth was set up inside a Quebec high school. more »
- Double-lung recipient dances on Ellen show
- Organ donation advocate Hèlène Campbell of Ottawa made her second appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, but her first since undergoing a double-lung transplant. more »
- Canada ending 'Buffalo shuffle' for visas, closing consulate
- The federal government is shutting down the Canadian consulate in Buffalo and dropping a requirement for foreign workers and students to renew their visas outside the country, CBC News has learned. more »
- Investigation finds 3 electoral violations in N.W.T. riding
- Iqaluit man pleads guilty to drug and sex offences
- Head of Nunavut Impact Review Board not re-appointed
- Yukoners need to change poverty perceptions, says report
- Whitehorse man appeals drunk driving conviction
- N.W.T. budget calls for $74M surplus
- N.W.T. commissioner's goals for the territory
- Nunavut communities seek cellphone service
- Winning lottery ticket sold in Whitehorse

