Erwin's Excellent Adventure
The Toothless Wanderer: A Street Cat’s Story of Survival, Freedom, and Finally… Safety
At Regina Cat Rescue, we wish Erwin could talk because he has a great story of adventure and safety to tell.
Erwin didn't have an easy life, he had a home at one time, but fate had him living at one of our feeding stations. He never ran very far when the feeders came, just waited (somewhat impatiently) for them to put out the soft food and before they were gone he was jumping into the feeding station to beat his colony mates to his share it. He knew the rules of the street, he came close enough to get food but stayed far enough away to avoid “capture”. After withholding food for a day, we were able to TNR (trap, neuter and vaccinate, return) with the help of a local vet partner. After being sedated, the vet quickly realized the state of his teeth were severe due to blunt force trauma, and he ended up losing the majority of his teeth. However, upon returning back to a volunteer's home and two more vet trips, he ended up losing all of his teeth. His street days were now over. He endured, as he is a survivor.
Despite his mistrust of people, likely with just cause, he somewhat reluctantly accepted his new life in foster care. His foster gave him soft food, a warm bed, and the dignified respect owed to a creature who’d seen more than any cat ought to. Slowly, he began to relax. A little. But Erwin had been a street cat far too long to surrender all his freedom.
One warm summer morning, Erwin made his move. A door opened for a moment too long, and the toothless wanderer slipped outside, silent, and sure-footed. No hesitation, he was gone and he didn't come back, as he had a new territory to learn. Posters went up all over the neighbourhood and it didn't take long for us to get a couple of calls from folks who had seen him. Then a real break, the people whose deck he decided could be his new home, contacted us. They were very helpful and accommodating, we put out cameras and traps but it seemed he now knew exactly what a trap was. He also had more than a couple of people in the neighbourhood putting out food for him and one yard that was pretty close to his new “digs” had an open compost pit. So withholding food didn't work.
All summer long, we tried to re-trap him, but he was living his best life. He had a good supply of food and eventually he moved out from under the deck he was living under. As he resurfaced, we set up our “surveillance” efforts about a block away from his original hide out and saw him on the camera several times. The couple who were helping us with our rescue efforts agreed to set up a shelter and feeding station, so he was able to stay outside, safe and warm over the winter. Erwin was smarter than that, and did not cooperate and move to their yard. He was last seen on November 11th, 2025 and it appeared he had chosen street life over comfort after all.
Or so we thought. It appears street life isn't as much fun when the air turns sharp and unforgiving. By early December, Erwin, older, wiser, and slightly offended by frost, decided to rethink his priorities.
Which is why, one particularly cold evening, he saw an open door and walked right into someone's house as if he owned it. He made himself at home by going down to their basement. Although these folks were more than a bit surprised by the audacity of their “guest”, fortunately they did not chase him out. They contacted Animal Control and our toothless wanderer found himself a guest at the RHS. One of our volunteers saw his handsome mug on their intake page, a call was made and sure as heck, his microchip confirmed that he was our boy.
Erwin’s story isn’t the typical rescue tale because Erwin, in the end, rescued himself. He accepted help when he needed it, reclaimed his independence when he wanted it, and then, when the cold set in he realized he preferred the warmth of a house and a soft bed to sleep in. He certainly did not seem to suffer for his time on the street, he came back into care healthy and at a good weight.
He might not have teeth but he has charm. He might have endured trauma but he has resilience. And above all, he has what every wandering soul deserves: a safe place to land when winter comes.
And really, what’s more “cat” than that? The purrfect ending to Erwin's Excellent Adventure would be him finding a forever home now that he has the wanderlust out of his system.