A cat that went missing six months ago has turned up at Athabasca Falls and has found its way back to his owner, just in time for the holidays.

Basil the cat went missing from his residence in late April, early May and was thought to be gone forever.

That was until someone recently brought him to the Jasper bylaw office. After being examined at the Jasper veterinary clinic and thought to have diabetes, the vet was worried the cat could succumb to an upper respiratory infection.

Days later, the Fitzhugh ran a photo of Basil at the bylaw kennel. Days went by until the owner and owner’s landlord recognized the cat in the photo.

“I was very happy to learn that the cat resurfaced because that cat vanished six months ago, and you know, no one knew what (had) happened,” said Greg Deagle, the landlord of Naomi Parker, Basil’s owner.

“I think he would have perished, and evidently he was discovered by somebody, I don’t think it would have been the bylaw enforcement. But it would strike me that the cat was probably left at Athabasca Falls to perish,” he said, adding that after several days of not recognizing the cat in the paper, he realized it was clearly Basil.

It’s unknown how long the cat was actually left outside, but Deagle suspects that it was found and being taken care of before somebody decided they couldn’t care for it anymore and dropped it off at Athabasca Falls.

When the Fitzhugh talked with Deagle, he had yet to put Basil back together with his own cat after being advised by the vet to wait a while, but Deagle said he was very pleased to see Basil, as his cat, who is much younger, has idolized him since he was a kitten.

Deagle said when his tenants read the Fitzhugh they went in and claimed the cat, so posting the photo and story in the paper was an effective way of distributing information.

The second cat that was photographed with Basil that day was also adopted to a new home.