Find Calam

Sightings: Most recent on top. Thank you to all of the kind people calling/texting us with sightings – we truly appreciate you! Huge thanks to Halo’s Pet Rescue (Karen) for all of her help and support!

Almost 150 posters have been hung up – some of them are shown below. It takes some work to check and maintain these – it’s disheartening when some posters are missing. Original versions didn’t have the corrugated plastic backing, nor were the backs sealed with packing tape. Newer versions are laminated, in two sizes (letter/tabloid) – please let us know if a poster is damaged or needs replacement in your area. I wish I could request for all of the all-black cats to be checked for microchip to see if they match Calam’s, but I cannot. I have contacted Amazon Delivery to see if any of their drivers recall having transported a cat from Maple Ridge to a neighbouring town. I have even contacted the College of Veterinarians of BC to request that any all-black cats brought in to a vet’s office be checked for microchip but no response.

We have a microchip reader so if you’re able to hold an all-black cat that’s been visiting your place, that is new to your neighbourhood, that seems hungry and lost – please contact us so we can check for its microchip and see if it matches Calam.

1. We followed up on a sighting at 214 and 126 only to find Calam’s doppelganger at Terry’s house. I couldn’t stop staring at Bandit, who was happily perched on his cat tower one minute and then freely wandering his property outside. Another beautiful black cat that isn’t our boy Calam.
2. Thanks to Jim at Dewdney and Laity for saving a sweet black cat desperate to get into his building. We went to check just to be sure but it was a much smaller cat than Calam, no tattoo, no chip, and female. Happy that it was reunited with its owner the following day.
3. Sighting at North Avenue near Lifelabs (a larger, sleek black cat); waiting for it to return to try and hold to check for microchip. There was a reported sighting at this location in January, but didn’t hear from that person again – we checked the area, put up additional signs but no word until a couple of days ago.
4. Sighting at ‘entrance by Laity Pumpkin Patch’ was verified by the farm that they own two black cats and could very well be one of theirs.
5. Facebook posting by Amy, in Chilliwack Lost And Found Pets Group – looked like a very skinny version of Calam but Amy confirmed he is intact and Calam is neutered. Could he be all the way in Chilliwack? We can’t be sure so we have to check every lead.
6. 113 Avenue & McDougal Street – caught on video a black cat walking across a driveway, thanks to Aimen for sending this sighting. We have placed several more signs in this beautiful neighbourhood and surrounding areas. Thanks to Brian and Makayla for holding onto a black cat so we can check it for a microchip – unfortunately no chip; and this cat is more medium-to-long hair than Calam. We don’t know if a short-haired cat can actually grow that much hair to adapt to its surroundings. Beautiful cat, but not ours. Another sighting in this area from Tara, for a short-haired cat, but photo shows it hanging out at someone’s house like it’s their house. We tried to knock on the door but the owners were home and didn’t answer the door. We confirmed this cat belongs to this home. How lovely that it sits on the front porch and can roam freely – too bad it isn’t Calam.
7. Morse Crescent & 224 Street – we have walked this area and bumped into a black cat that stared and ran away from us. Also, this is only 3 blocks away from us so Calam should be able to get home if he was roaming in this area. Thanks to Bruce who reported recent sightings but we met this black cat and it didn’t have the white hairs on its chest, and it also ran away from us so obviously a neighbourhood cat as well.
8. 228A & 128 Avenue – black cat sits on doorstep, likes driveway and goes to to 127th nature area. We put up more posters here (as Halo’s Pet Rescue’s thermal drone spotted two black cats chasing each other in this area). We’re reaching out to homeowner to see if cat comes back so we can arrange for camera/trap. This was reported to be a neighbourhood cat, unfortunately.
9. 230th & 121A Avenue – huge thanks to Shirley for allowing Halo’s Pet Rescue to setup a camera here after multiple visits by a black cat on her porch. No recent sightings; trail camera removed.
10. 215 Street & 123 Avenue – huge thanks to Hanna for bringing in a black cat. We had to take a taxi to her residence, but this cat was tattooed and Calam does not have a tattoo (microchip only).
11. Eagle & 230th – huge thanks to Sabine for allowing Halo’s Pet Rescue to setup a camera and trap here; and catching what could be Calam on her security footage. Unfortunately the trap door didn’t shut when a black cat came by, then the trap had to be taken away for cleaning and no sightings since.
12. Riverwynd & 117 Avenue – huge thanks to Joanna for sharing her video camera footage; unfortunately we keep getting rats and a non-hungry black cat at this location (unlikely it is Calam).
13. Ridge Meadows Hospital parking lot & Pine Street – While we were hanging up posters a black cat showed up by our car, but it didn’t respond to us and ran away so it can’t be Calam. The cat we’re interested in may have an injury to his hind leg and has been spotted drinking in a homeowner’s pond. Haven’t heard an update on this location.
14. Field west of Laity View Elementary – Brookfield Farm confirmed it’s their black cat that lives on their farm.
15. 224 & 121 Avenue (with camera and trap from Halo’s Pet Rescue; unsuccessful) – huge thanks to Monica for all of her help
16. 228B & 136 Avenue (most likely a known neighborhood cat based on conversations with residents) – huge thanks to Bill for being able to crate in his home so we can verify it’s not Calam.

Below is a map of all of our current poster locations. We started with 30 poster board signs. Karen told us to use packing tape to weatherproof, but I I found this task back breaking – never again. We don’t have a countertop so leaning repeatedly on a desk/dining table was awful. Also, without sealing the back side of the poster boards, the paper curls in the rain and visibility is reduced. Best ones are sealed with packing tape (front AND back) and made flat with corrugated plastic backing – so much work! The next iteration of posters are laminated letter and tabloid sizes – yes, we bought a laminator for this, we get the pages printed because we have no printer – it’s an expense, but definitely more long-lasting and not back-breaking! However, if you don’t use the right nails, and if placed in a very sunny location the signs will fade. Apparently tacks can pop out of wood posts and we had nails that didn’t have heads so that’s been corrected with flat head nails. I couldn’t capture all of the areas, but we’re all the way past 234 Street, and up into Silver Valley. There are 32 Tabloid; 85 Letter; so almost 150 posters have been put up for our Calam. As for socials, Calam is posted to the following Facebook groups:

1. Maple Ridge, BC – Lost & Found Cats, Dogs & Pets – Paw Guide Network
2. Maple Ridge Central Neighbours
3. Missing Pets of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows
4. Missing Pets And Sightings Fraser Valley
5. Missing Pets Fraser Valley
6. Silver Valley Neighbourhoods – Without The Censorship
7. Port Coquitlam Missing Pets Lost & Found (PoCo/Burke Mtn/River Springs)
8. Missing and found pets – Vancouver BC & the Lower Mainland
9. Lost/Missing Pets in BC – Lower Mainland/Greater Vancouver/Fraser Valley
10. Silver Valley Neighbourhoods (B.C.)
11. Maple Ridge Neighbours
12. Laity View / West Maple Ridge Neighbours
13. Found and lost pets Of The Lower Mainland
14. Port Coquitlam Pets Lost & Found