By Hannah O’Hanlon
The owners of a cat missing for more than four months had almost given up hope of seeing her again when she made a miraculous return.
Julie and Colin Dunthorne were bereft when little Maggie left their home between Muasdale and Tayinloan one day at the end of May and failed to come back.
And, in October, when their neighbours said they thought she had turned up in their garden, the pair did not believe it was her until they saw her.
The Dunthornes, who moved to Kintyre from Barrow upon Humber in Lincolnshire in March 2021, first got Maggie when she was five months old and kept her inside for a further seven months to get her accustomed to their home and their other cat, Marco.
As a carer, Julie travels throughout Kintyre and became aware of several cats in Carradale that the charity Cats Protection was planning to catch, dress and rehome.
When asked if she was interested in taking one of the cats, Julie couldn’t resist, but she had her work cut out to tame little Maggie who was completely wild.
She said: “I’d never had a real feral cat before and I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll just pick her up,’ but she went crazy – I was all covered in scratches, and I thought, ‘What have I done?’
“She was hissing and growling, but I picked her up, got her in the little cat basket and brought her home.”
After about three weeks, Maggie had settled in and began exploring her new home and, eventually, Julie and Colin began to let her go outside.
“She kept looking out the window and it felt cruel keeping her in,” said Julie, “so we let her out, but the third time, she didn’t come back. She just disappeared.”
After searching extensively, and appealing to friends and neighbours, the couple found no trace of their beloved moggy.
“I looked everywhere for her,” said Julie, “I walked round Tayinloan village, I asked neighbours if they had seen her, I asked the dustmen if they had lifted her thinking she was feral, I put posts on Facebook… I tried everything.
“Every night I was out looking for her. Every time I went to Carradale, I was wondering if she’d gone back there.”
And although Colin feared Maggie may have been killed, Julie said she never gave up hope, despite the couple’s home being located beside a very fast stretch of the A83 road.
Then, out of the blue, their neighbours said they believed they had captured Maggie in their garden shed.
“I went to see, not really expecting it to be her, but I went in and I said, ‘Maggie?’ and she came out,” said Julie. “I picked her up and we brought her home and fed her – she was absolutely ravenous; when I stroked her, I could feel all the notches of her spine.
“We also removed several ticks and she had worms, but she is very happy to be home and we are so happy to have her back.”
Maggie has recovered well from her ordeal and seems pleased to have her home comforts back.
She was also glad to see Marco and has gotten to know her new little brother Mittens, who Julie and Colin rehomed while Maggie was missing.
“They play well together,” said Julie, adding: “Marco’s used to being outside but, at the moment, Maggie and Mittens stay in the house.
“Maybe, when Mittens gets a bit older, I’ll let him out, but Maggie doesn’t want to be out, so she’s staying in!”