The life and travels of SoyLee, an international jetsetter

An OE, or Overseas Experience, is a rite of passage for many Kiwis seeking adventure abroad. Most are of the human variety – but not all, as SoyLee has proven throughout her life!

It all began in 2009, when Michael and his wife Pia had just finished building their new home in Inglewood, New Zealand. It was an exciting time for them, but they felt like the place was lacking something. Michael had a hunch about what that thing might be.

“I drove to your shelter not having a plan at all,” Michael tells us. “I only knew it had to be a cat.”

The only cat that “sort of made contact” was SoyLee – but, unfortunately, she was spoken for by a family with children. Michael left, thinking he just hadn’t found the right cat for him and Pia.

However, a few days later, Michael got a call: SoyLee wasn’t compatible with young children. She was back in our Centre in need of a new whānau.

The next thing Michael knew, the paperwork was signed, and he was holding a cardboard box with his new furry friend inside.

“My wife was 100% surprised,” Michael says. “She didn’t know about my plan! I even forgot to buy food or litter, or anything related to successful cat rehoming.” SoyLee had clearly made a strong impression on him; he knew, without a doubt, that she belonged with them. The details would sort themselves out.

And sort themselves out they did – even when, two years later, Michael and Pia sold their Inglewood home and moved to Switzerland.

As they planned their next chapter, it was a foregone conclusion that SoyLee would join them. “To abandon [her] was never a thought,” Michael says. “She went where we went.”

It was time for SoyLee’s international travels to begin!

After a year of exploring Switzerland’s mountains and culture, it was time for more change: the family was on the move again! This time, Pia, Michael and SoyLee were on their way to Vancouver, Canada.

The family lived in Vancouver for around seven years, but eventually, it was time for one more change. They'd be staying in Canada but switching coasts: in 2020, they were on their way to Nova Scotia on the East Coast.

SoyLee settled into her “retired cat” life in Nova Scotia – and six years later, she’s still with the family. Now at least 18 years old, she has a few health issues, and she’s hard of hearing. “But she is with us and we are with her,” Michael says. And we know that won’t change, whatever comes next.