An adopted cat, that grew so attached to his new owner that he was suffering from separation anxiety, is now seeing the sights, and raising money for an animal shelter in need.
Joseph Duncan, a PhD student at Memorial University who came to Newfoundland from Italy, wanted a dog, but decided to foster a cat to see how it would go.
He fell in love with the cat and adopted it, and now he has three cats, one of which is an all-white long hair called Cosmo. Cosmo became so attached to Duncan that he started to groom and bite himself out of anxiety when they were separated. That’s when Duncan’s wife suggested that he take the cat with him on his long hikes and bicycle rides in the great outdoors.
Duncan slowly introduced the cat to the idea, which turned out to be a hit, and now Cosmo joins Duncan on his cycling adventures in a modified carrier—and loves it.
“One km and we’d come back home, 2 km and we’d come back home, 3 km and we’d come back home, and once I realized that he wasn’t trying to get out or anything, I just went for it!” says Duncan. “That works out for both of us actually, we’ve been training and everything.”
Duncan, who lives in St. John’s, wanted to give back, and heard that the Baccalieu Trail SPCA was struggling. He and Cosmo took to the trails, Facebook and GoFundMe and managed to raise $1,600 for the shelter.
It was more than Duncan was expecting, and he’s more than happy to help the Baccalieu Trail with their expenses.