Yellowknife (Oct 08/03) - Sarah Drybones cried again over her cat on Friday. But this time, she cried tears of joy.

Sarah Drybones was all smiles after being reunited with Ash. - Yose Cormier/NNSL photo

Sarah Drybones, 11, was reunited with her cat, Ash, after more than a month of separation.

The saga began in the Dry Bones Bay area on Great Slave Lake in late August.

The Drybones family, minus Sarah who was in Quebec visiting family, were out boating on Great Slave Lake.

"We always bring Ash. He's usually really good.

"He'll go out on the land and then come back when we call him," said Aileen Drybones, Sarah's mother.

On that day though, when the Drybones were returning home, they were forced to stop on a small island near the mouth of Dry Bones Bay.

"The weather and the water were really rough. We decided to wait it out," said Aileen Drybones.

The family think Ash got spooked by the weather because when they were about to leave, Ash was nowhere to be found.

After a couple of hours of searching, they left, but they promised to return.

The family would return, but it turned out harder than they thought after their boat was stolen.

"It was returned, but for a while, we had to get people to take us out to the bay to look for Ash. We must have returned seven or eight times, I'm not sure how much. I lost count," said Aileen Drybones.

What the Drybones didn't know though was that in early September, Anne Jane Grieve and her husband Kevin Quinn had stumbled upon Ash.

The couple had landed on the mainland and reached a small abandoned cabin.

The cat was frail and bony remembers Grieve.

"We found a can of sardines in the cabin. I think that saved the cat's life," said Grieve.

Grieve and Quinn left the cat at the cabin hoping its family would return soon.

"We left a note but planned on coming back in three days time. If it was still there then, we would take it home," said Grieve.

Three days later, the cat was still there and Ash was on his way back to Yellowknife.

Swam 100 metres

Ash likely swam from the island to the mainland, about 100 metres and hung around the cabin because he had shelter and nowhere else to go.

Grieve contacted the SPCA and Great Slave Animal Hospital hoping for some help.

But they had just received over 60 dogs and had no room for the cat.

Ash was fostered at the Holmes residence, where he was cared for.

"We really appreciate what the Holmes did. Especially Tegan and Blair, the two children. They were great," said Eileen Drybones.

Grieve wrote a column in the Sept. 17 edition of Yellowknifer hoping the cat's family would want him back.

"We wanted to reunite the cat with his family, but also wanted to make sure it was his real family. "When I heard from the Drybones, I knew it was for real," said Catherine Holmes.

However, the Drybones family didn't see the article until Oct. 3.

"When I found out Ash had been found, I couldn't believe it. I cried," said Aileen Drybones.

When she told her daughter, Sarah could hardly breath. "I was really, really excited. I was gasping for air with excitement," Sarah said.

Ash, now known by the Holmes as Pokey-nose, was also happy to be reunited with his family.

When the Drybones arrived, he was perched at the top of the stairs, listening to what was going on near the front door.

While Sarah was going up the stairs, he came down and met her halfway for the long awaited reunion.

"I always felt there was hope of finding him," said Aileen Drybones.