'I am not giving up': Search continues for missing pregnant cat at Ottawa Airport

It is day five of the search for a missing pregnant cat who went missing at the Ottawa Airport.

On Thursday, Athena escaped her cat carrier after arriving from Winnipeg, on her way to Ottawa for better vet care and to have her kittens, thanks to Furry Tales Cat Rescue, a local rescue organization.

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"This is something that we do sometimes, we bring in cats from areas where there is limited access to vet services. We bring them in here to help them start a new life," says Marta Burczycka, a volunteer with Furry Tales Cat Rescue. "There was an unfortunate incident where the carrier, it popped open and she got out and she got out into the parkade and we were here within minutes."

Volunteers have been searching throughout the night for her, as well as day patrols. "There's a lot of traffic. There's cars, it's cold. So we're really thinking she's probably looking for a warm place to begin her nesting to have her kittens. She's definitely looking for food. So I think right now she's looking for food and warmth," Burczycka says.

The team at Furry Tales called in Janice Richard, an expert trapper who has been trying everything to find the cat including traps, bait, and food.

"She's trying to survive," says Richard. "She's trying to find somewhere that she's going to nest to have those babies. Food is like, at the top of her list right now."

Janice Richard is an expert trapper and is working with Furry Tales Cat Rescue to help find Athena, a pregnant cat who has been missing at the Ottawa Airport since Thursday, March 21, 2024. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)

They even brought in another male cat who could call out to Athena. Richard says, "He's a talkative cat. He started talking and she talked back to him in an area that was different from where she escaped. But we couldn't find her."

The rescue organization says a real possibility is that Athena hid under a hood of a vehicle, looking for warmth from the engine. They're asking anyone who might have driven or parked at the airport since Thursday to have a check under their hood.

After the weekend snow, they thought they saw footprints but were not able to conclusively say they were those of a cat.

Ottawa airport authority spokesperson Krista Kealey tells CTV News that staff are aware of the situation and employees conducting regular patrols of the garage have been looking for Athena.

"Unfortunately, there have been no sightings as of yet," Kealey said in an email.

Athena is a brown tabby with medium to short hair and has a stubby tail. "This is very much a cat that's built for camouflage, right now at the airport. There's a lot of brown shrubbery. The grass is brown, there's leaves. So she's really going to blend in quite well to her surroundings," says Burczycka.

Athena is a brown tabby with medium to short hair and has a stubby tail. She is pregnant and went missing at the Ottawa Airport March 21, 2024. Experts believe she is likely seeking food and warmth before having her kittens. (Furry Tales Cat Rescue/supplied)

Furry Tales says if you want to help – sharing the message on social media is the best thing to do. Do not come to the airport, as it is a secure location.

Burczycka says the message is "to keep looking for her. We are so, so grateful for all the support we have from our community. It's an amazing community here in Ottawa. Right now, our main message to the public is to please, please, please get the word out at this point. We have experts here that are looking for her and setting up traps."

She says, "If anyone happens to see her or really any cat, if you happen to see a cat here at the airport, please contact for details as soon as you can. Do not approach her. She'll be scared. Do not approach her. Just contact for details."

Monday night the team hopes to search airport dumpsters in hopes Athena might be there.

Richard says they won't give up hope. "She has blood in her veins… She has kittens. She has life in her now. Her life matters. I don't give up on that now."

It is expected that Athena could give birth in a matter of weeks.

Anyone with information that could help find the cat is asked to contact [e-mail]