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-ri 8-Thii o Canadian ChmIniuedydisme~1* n Lucky Kosmofinds his lovingfamily after a six month stay ini Oakville By KAREN SMITH The Champion A Laurier Avenue couple. had lost hope of ever seeing their beloved cat Kosmo 1-again until an early Christmas miracle came their way. Kosmo, who had been maissing for six months, tumed up miles away in Oakville and is now back at home. "My husband siept in the living room for a week with the window open just in case he came home," said Denise Vandervoort, who owned the cat with her spouse John. The black and white deciawed houae cat pur- chased from a pet store at six weeks of age - and dependent on people - beat the odds to survive traffic, extreme weather conditions and other ani- mais, according to the Oakville Humane Society. "We have 300 to 400 lost cat reports down here," said Paula Flemming of the animai sheiter's adop- tion and iost and found department. "Most of them wii never be found." Two-year-old Kosmo, who normally stays indoors, was skin and bonies when an Oakville fans- ily found the feline in their backyard near Glen Abbey Golf Course and later took it to the Oakville Humane Society to see if it couid be identified. 'I received a cail from the Oakville Humane Society with hopeful news," Ms Vandervoort said. "A cal had been brought in fmom the Glen Abbey area in Oakviile for identification." The cal was matched through a photograph of Kosmo that Ms Vandervoort had taken to the humnane society immediately after he went missîng. 1I was amazed they still had him on file," she said. Kosmo had broken through a window screen of the Vandervoort' s home ovemnight in early June and was nowhere 10 be found when the couple dis- covered the mishap and began searching the nexl moming. The couple leamed three days later from neigh- bours that Kosmo was seen that night chasing rac- coons outside the home. The Vandervoorts placed numerous classified avertisements in The Champion, distributed flyers isearch of their pet and even offered a $200 rward. While numerous phone calis resulted from the d, none led to the retum of two-year-old Kosmo. "Nobody wanted the money. Il just goes 10 show you how caning people are," Ms Vandervoort said. The couple eventuaily lost hope of ever finding terpet until the Oakville Humane Society con- tcted them on November 27. The Vigna family of north Oakville had found Kosmo, starving and frightened, in the backyard of Iheir home in August. Wendy Vigna noticed the cal sleeping under her apple Iree and soon realized il was a stray. "Ilt was a bag of bones and aimosl dead," she said. She reported the finding to the Oakville Humane Society, but mistakenly identified the cal as a female. Her children - Emily, 16, and Amy, 8 - built an ouldoor shelter for the long-haired feline and kept him well fed. By September, the family had gained the cat's trust, were able 10 bning him inside and soon they had a new family pet. However. last month Ms Vigna received a eali from the humane sociely inquiring if she stili had the cal and asked her 10 bning il in 10 see if il had any microchip identification. She complied and during an examination at the shelter, she discovered that the cal was actually a neutered maie. The finding led 10 a new search and the feline was identifled as Kosmo. The excited Milton couple picked the cal up and within a few days il was back 10 his oid habits aI home, Mr. Vandervoort said. Ms Vigna said her children were heartbroken 10 see Kosmio go. They had re-named him Buffy and had grown attached 10 him. 'Ihis cal had a personality," she said. Meanwhile, believing Kosmo was gone forever, the Vandervoorts adopted lwo more cals so they now have four. "We're childless so these are our kids," Mr. Vandervoort said. "Our heartfelt thanks go 10 the people of Milton and the Oakville Humane Society, and especially 10 Wendy for the retumn of Kosmo." The cal probably ended up in Oakville through some other means than on ils own volition, Ms Flemming said. Il could have hopped. mbt a vehicle or hid in a car engine without being hurt she said. "It's not likely il got there on its own," she said, "but I guess it's possible that il did." Photo by GRAHAM PAINE Kosmo the cat mode hle way from Milton to Oakville surlier this y.ar. HeI was recently returned 10 owners John and Denise Vandervoort six months afler getting l081. Donations help abused kids Donations 10 the Children'a Aid Foundation of Halton help hundreds of abused, neglected and abandoned youngslers. To help illustrate the urgent need for dona- tions the Halton Children's Aid Society offers a pair of cases culled from the files of the more than 400 chi ldren il helps every year. The firsl invoives David, who was sexually ahused hy his stepfather for îwo years before the Children's Aid Society (CAS) intervened when he was nine. David's moîher was angry that his teslimony sent his slepfather 10 jail. David is 16 now and living independently under CAS supervision. His slepfather is out of jail and his mother has made il clear she does not want 10 see her son. As a resull, David will spend the holidays in his sparsely fumnished basement apartment, trying 10 mainlain his school work. (He's a *ses HELP on page 17 've êelivered~ a let us deliver Xr message for as/eop littie as a~iaxCfa pion- Cali K AREli * e