A curious cat named Bandit has returned home after hitching a ride in a moving van that took him 2,500 kilometres to Winnipeg.
The driver of the moving truck used by the Gunderson family - who moved from the Island to Manitoba last week - found the stowaway in a compartment underneath the trailer.
Bandit survived the three-day journey with no food or water.
The Gundersons contacted the Winnipeg Humane Society and were connected with cat rescuer Claudia Allen, who posted Bandit's story online.
His owners, the Carvello family, saw the report and arrangements were made for Bandit to come home - this time, by plane.
It turns out a cat-loving Winnipeg couple are friends with the Carvellos' neighbours. Nathan Ashmead and his fiancée Allison Bingham were flying to Victoria for their wedding and agreed to take the well-travelled feline with them.
The prodigal pet was reunited with his family at Victoria International Airport Wednesday evening.
"It has been quite a surreal experience with much anxiety along the way - not knowing for a week what happened to [Bandit], and then much relief," said Lui Carvello on Thursday.
He said the cat had been missing since July 27 and likely boarded the moving van near his family's Fairfield residence.
