Wandering Oriental shorthair Joey’s ‘priceless’ return brings relief to stressed owner

Joey is happy to be back with his owner after being picked up by a stranger on the street. Photo / Brodie Stone

If 2-year-old Oriental shorthair cat Joey could talk, he’d have quite the story to tell.

On Friday, March 7, he was going for his usual stroll near the Whangārei Town Basin but failed to return to his workshop home.

Joey’s owner – who did not want to be named – said the cat wasn’t known to wander far and he was instantly worried.

To make matters worse, he had already lost his other furry friend, Zuka (another Oriental shorthair), who also went missing for two years in 2007.

It was a sleepless night for the cat’s owner, with the worst-case scenarios running through his head.

“It was a deja-vu thing. My heart had just sunk and I was feeling terrible.

“There’s a lot of negative things that go on [in Whangārei], a lot of crime. And coupled with all of that and losing him, you just can’t help but wonder what the hell has gone on.”

On Saturday, he put a picture of Joey up on social media, sharing it across community pages.

Joey lives at his owner's workshop and has unusual features such as a long, angular face and an extremely vocal communication style. Photo / Brodie Stone

While there were a lot of supportive comments, there was no news on Joey’s whereabouts.

“Those little comments that come to you just give you that extra hope and make you feel good in a time of trauma.”

Joey’s owner tried to calm himself down over the weekend and hoped Joey had maybe found a cosy spot in a nearby workshop.

On Monday morning he sat outside his workshop, hoping to see Joey running down the street.

“But he never came.”

Nearby businesses helped compile CCTV footage which revealed a lead.

A woman had put Joey in her vehicle.

“He jumped in and jumped out. Then she opened her back door and popped him in there.”

Joey’s owner said he understood if the woman thought Joey was a stray as Oriental shorthairs are naturally slim.

Members of the community who saw the footage identified the vehicle and where it was likely headed.

So Joey’s owner contacted the police but along came another lead.

Local business owner Nicola from Flamingo Mows reached out on Facebook after seeing his post and said she had seen Joey running across the road at Third Ave, being “bombarded by sparrows”.

He believed his feline’s vocal nature probably drove the woman who picked Joey up nuts so she let him go.

Joey’s owner and his son headed straight over to the area and met Nicola, who showed them Joey’s last location.

They asked a nearby homeowner if they could scout in their backyard for Joey.

“The next thing, from out of the bushes he comes, screaming his lungs out straight towards me.

“The delight on both our faces would have been priceless.”

He said Joey “squawked” all the way home but hasn’t left his side since.

Oriental shorthair Joey hasn't left his owner's side since his return. Photo / Brodie Stone

He and his son gave Nicola a card with $100 in it and a photo of his Facebook post to thank her.

He said the community support was “just fantastic”.

“It almost brings tears to your eyes with pride, that you’ve got people like that in your community who care.”

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.