EDMONTON -- Max Adams got more than he bargained for on a recent hike in the High Prairie area.
The 31-year-old set out on a 60-kilometre trek to Winagami Lake to raise awareness for Movember but about 10 kilometres into the journey, he got sidetracked by a meowing sound.
"I was just on one of the farming roads and you could hear him a long ways away before," said Adams.
The source was a kitten perched in a snowy tree just off the road, desperate for attention.
"He would have leaped off the branch onto me," he said. "He wanted and needed somebody."
Adams picked up the kitten and it crawled onto his shoulder where it stayed for much of the walk to his car.
"Every time I put him down, he would just follow behind me," said Adams. "I've had a few cats in the past but never like this… He's just so friendly and very personable."
Adams said he spent two nights searching for the cat’s owner by visiting the rural properties nearby but no one claimed him.
He ended up taking the animal to a vet after noticing a reddish hairless spot on its tail.
"They said, 'Yeah, no, it's infected, it looks like it's frostbite and they'll have to remove his tail in order to avoid any further infection in the body.'"
Adams cut a deal with the vet to get the cat neutered at the same time. After spending $370, he now considers the feline his own.
"This guy just has so much personality. He won me over. It was kind of a no-brainer."
Adams eventually finished his trek for Movember and documented the journey.
He said the encounter with his new kitten helped boost donations and awareness around men’s health.
"Since posting the video he’s raised an extra $450," said Adams. "It’s been a blessing in disguise in many ways."
