This is the letter I sent to the Newspaper in The Pas, Manitoba.

We thought she was a goner:
Our group of 29 people and nine pets had spent two days parked at the Aseneskak Casino in The Pas. We were with Adventure Caravans, an RV touring company, and were on our way to Churchill to view the Polar Bears.

Annie and I travel with two cats, Speed Bump and Millie. They are experienced RV cats who have travelled with us all over the U.S., Mexico, and Canada for the past three years. 
The wind was blowing and the temp was hovering close to freezing on the morning of October 10th. Speed Bump apparently thought she would like to visit the great outdoors and when Annie opened the door to get something she slipped out.

Because we were getting ready to leave people were starting their engines. We think this frightened our feline friend because she disappeared.
After all the RV’s had departed we searched and called and called and searched. Since our responsibility was with the tour group we finally had to leave. Because the Casino wasn’t open yet we couldn’t notify them of our loss. Annie put a description and a picture of Speed Bump, along with contact information on the door and we hoped for the best.
Both of us were sick because we had to leave her and neither of wanted to think of what had happened to her.

Our next stop was Snow Lake where we followed up with a phone call and an e-mail to the Casino. We were told that security would be notified to keep an eye out for her.
Two days later we arrived in Thompson, Manitoba to catch our train to Churchill. We would be gone for four nights.

We told Colleen Smook, the Campground owner of McCreedy Campground in Thompson what had happened. That night, on her own, she called the Aseneskak casino and talked to the manager. She told him if Speed Bump was found to call and she would drive the almost 500 mile round trip to get her for us.

We left the next day for Churchill. We had hoped for a surprise when we returned but it was not to be.
Having given up all hope of ever seeing our Speed Bump again we arrived in Ile des Chenes, a small town outside Winnipeg, Manitoba on Oct 19, 2009. Neither of us really wanted to talk about what might have become of Speed Bump because it was quite painful.

But the Cat Came Back.
There was sadness in our hearts as we prepared to leave. We had said goodbye to all our guests after we had our hitch-up breakfast and were ready to depart.  Annie decided to check her e-mail one more time. The car was hooked up and ready to roll, the motor home was warmed up and running. The power, water and sewer lines were unhooked and I was stowing them when Annie came running out.

“They found her!” she cried.

“What?”

 “They have Speed Bump, they found her and she’s safe.”

She had just received a message from security at the Aseneskak Casino. They finally captured Speed Bump. She had apparently been hiding under their construction shed for the past two weeks. They told us they had seen her on their security cameras and had been trying but had been unable to catch her.

The first person they contacted was Colleen in Thompson, Manitoba. Colleen offered to pick Speed Bump up in The Pas, keep her until she could drive to Winnipeg on Friday the 30th. This would be over 1000 miles round trip for her but, she did not hesitate.  

When we received the e-mail we immediately tried to reach the Casino but they don’t open until 11:00.

At 1045 Annie finally reached someone. She talked to three or four different people who were so excited that Speed Bump was found and all of them wanted to talk to her and tell her how hard they had been looking and how she was found.

The security person saw, on one of the cameras, a dog aggressively barking at something this morning. She saw a cat on a fence and when she zoomed in with her security camera she recognized Speed Bump. She went outside immediately and rescued our wayward feline from the railing she had jumped onto.
By the time Annie reached someone, the chief of security, Nick, had taken her home.  Annie called him at his home. Both Nick and his wife, Joyce, were on the phone talking to her at the same time. They were both excited that Speed Bump was finally captured and safe. They are animal lovers and also have three cats that had been relegated to the outside so Speed Bump could be comfortable in their home.

The airline was called and they said if Nick had her there ASAP she would be on their 1:30 flight and in Winnipeg by 4:00. Nick bought a carrier for her and put a soft blanket in it and took her to the airport. He told us we could pay him for the carrier and the airline fare next year when we came through. The airline let her be sent COD so we could pay at this end when we picked her up.
Speed Bump arrived, a bit lighter than when we last saw her (she was a fat cat) but, healthy and happy to see us. We now have her safely home. Nick and his wife must have brushed her very well because she is exceptionally clean and not shedding. The people at the Casino said they had to vacuum their uniforms because she wouldn’t get off of their laps and they took turns holding and petting her.

We are simply amazed and very thankful at the effort so many people put forth to find and return Speed Bump to us.  There aren’t words to express our gratitude to those who helped us.
The people at Calm Air were exceptionally nice and polite when we explained our plight.

The Arrowhead Campground owners in Ile des Chenes were especially nice as they let us tie up their business phone for the time we needed to make arrangements to have Speed Bump returned.

We may arrive in Branson for our next tour a bit later than we had anticipated but we will arrive with our fur family intact.
The kindness of the people in Manitoba in making the effort to return our Speed Bump to was heartwarming. It is wonderful to know that there are still those who will go the extra mile to help a friend.

Thank you very much…
John and Annie Lastar
Field Staff
Adventure Caravans

Speed Bump                       Millie