Pet cat lost in the outback ends in purr-fect reunion months later
<p>A beloved pet cat who went missing in the South Australian outback while on a road trip with his owner has been miraculously returned to his family months later.</p>
<p>In June, Murry Rantall was travelling from Warnambook Victoria to Darwin in a caravan when he made a pit stop on the Stuart Hwy so his Burmese cat Raj could use the litter box. </p>
<p>Rantall went for a walk and came back assuming that his 14-year-old feline friend was still inside so he drove off. </p>
<p>It wasn't until 200km later, when he went to check on Raj, that he realised the cat was missing. </p>
<p>“I was just about bawling … I knew he was in trouble,” Rantall said.</p>
<p>Rantall who had recently lost his wife said that Raj was the only loved one he had left at home. </p>
<p>“We were sort of looking after each other more or less,” Rantall said.</p>
<p>He turned back to search for Raj, and even had his daughter, Katrina drive from Victoria to South Australia to help find the cat, but they had no luck. </p>
<p>The feline was lost but not fur-gotten as Rantall's children put up Facebook posts about Raj missing in the South Australian outback. </p>
<p>Two months later, the outback cat-astrophe ended with the purr-fect homecoming when Raj was found in Port Augusta, about 50km from where he ran away. </p>
<p>Raj was found in Milla Dey’s backyard on Thursday, August 8.</p>
<p>“I just saw that he was there and covered in prickles. We got him some food and water and he spent probably 15 to 20 minutes just eating,” Dey said.</p>
<p>He was taken to a local vet to scan his microchip, but the details were outdated. </p>
<p>Locals managed to track down Rantall's family on social media after seeing the Facebook posts about Raj, and they were reunited over the weekend. </p>
<p>Rantall said Raj had lost a lot of weight but was content to be back in his arms.</p>
<p>“We’ll feed him up, he’ll be all right,” Rantall said.</p>
<p>Port Augusta City Council animal control officer Kylie McKerlie said the reunion was thanks to the care and dedication of the local community.</p>
<p>“It’s just a really good town and a really good feeling for everyone,” she said.</p>
<p>Rantall also thanked everyone who helped saying, “it’s unbelievable, the help I’ve had.” </p>
<p><em>Images: 7News</em></p>
