Sylvia the Michigan cat is rescued at New Albany Pilot

After 39 days of being on her own in unfamiliar territory, Sylvia the cat has been rescued. She can thank one Tupelo lady who wouldn’t give up on her and several other good people who love animals.

On March 23, Melissa Rojas, a truck driver from Michigan was passing through the New Albany area. While her truck was parked at the Pilot truck stop off I-22, her beloved cat Sylvia somehow escaped the truck. It was about 2:30 AM when Sylvia went missing.  One driver thought he had seen Sylvia at a shed in a field near the parked truck. However, Melissa could not find Sylvia and had to leave without her. Because Sylvia was declawed and was wearing a belled collar, there was concern that she could not efficiently hunt for food or protect herself.

Trap placed near machine shed where Sylvia was reported to be hiding.

Rojas posted a search notice to local rescues about Sylvia, seeking help in locating her and returning her to her home. Sylvia is a gray and cream-colored, four year old female Siamese, weighing about 10 pounds.  Like many Siamese cats, Sylvia was described as “talkative,” but also as scared and skittish. The notice included a photo of Sylvia and contact information.

NEMiss.news picked up Sylvia’s story when Tupelo lawyer, Angela Brooks,  posted it to her FB page. She had gotten the notice from Second Chances Rescue in Pontotoc. On Sunday April 5, Brooks and her son, Parker, posted flyers in the area around the Pilot, and left food in the vicinity where Sylvia was seen by employees on Friday, April 3rd.

Brooks decided to try placing a live trap for Sylvia. A trap, later thought to be too small, had been offered by a local New Albany person. Because she lives in Tupelo, she contacted New Albany’s local humane society group for assistance in checking the trap a few times daily. However, she was unable to get any local help. In fact, she never received the promised call back after one person agreed to “check with the president.”

Over more than a month, Brooks remained in touch with Rojas in Michigan and with employees of Pilot and others who thought they had spotted Sylvia. Three potential sightings relatively close to the Pilot area all turned out to be the wrong cats. Sylvia was still missing.

Meanwhile, a Pilot maintenance man named Jay Lacarti was looking after a stray orange cat around the Pilot. Some of his workers thought they’d seen Sylvia, but Jay didn’t want to contact anyone without having first seen the cat with his own eyes. Late this week, he saw Sylvia, belled collar and all, run from beneath a trash compacter. He contacted Rojas, who quickly passed the sighting information on to Brooks. Again, Brooks thought a live trap was the most likely way to rescue Sylvia.

This time, Brooks contacted the Tupelo-Lee Humane Society.  Within 30 minutes of contacting the facility, explaining her mission and asking to borrow a larger live trap, she was contacted by Director of Operations Rachel Allred. She told Brooks the trap was ready to be picked up.

Sylvia, getting the last lick.

On Friday, May 1, Brooks told NEMiss.news that she thought the time was right to place a trap near the Pilot, as employees had recently seen Sylvia there. The feline had reportedly been hiding under a machine shed, and had been fed there.

Brooks placed the trap on Friday, aware of the fact that other “critters” might be attracted to the food, requiring releasing and resetting the trap.  Employees volunteered to help and were shown how to reset the trap, if necessary.

On Saturday morning, as she was preparing to drive to New Albany, Brooks was contacted by Kim Franks, a manager at Pilot, with the news that Sylvia was in the trap.

This afternoon, the cat is in Tupelo, at home with Angela Brooks, and, though thinner, Sylvia is doing well. She is friendly and loving and seems none the worse for her adventure. Her owner, Melissa Rojas, is enroute to Tupelo from Michigan to pick up her pet.

Rojas is very thankful for all who had a part in helping her reunite with Sylvia. And so is Sylvia.

Searching for Sylvia