Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.05.2014, Qupperneq 16

To say that Iceland has seen some
changes since 2007 would be a reck-
less understatement. At least one
thing, however, has gone back to
the way it was, the way it was meant
to be. This past February, Birkir got
a call from Kattholt, a local shelter:
Örvar had been found, and now
he was finally coming home. After
hearing about the reunion in Ice-
landic media outlets, we thought
we’d reach out to Birkir so that our
readers could enjoy this incredible
cat story too. Besides, it's been a
while since the Grapevine's last ma-
jor cat-related story, "Police Break
Up Cat Party," went viral. Let's see
if Pee-Wee Herman reposts this one
as well.
When did Örvar first go missing? At
what point did you realise that he
wasn't coming back?
It was autumn. Örvar had been
staying out progressively longer
than usual. Normally he'd come
home every night, but then there
would be periods where he'd stay
out for a few nights in a row. This
worried me, but I hoped it would
blow over. I'd read a lot about cat
behaviour, though, so when he
didn't come home for two or three
weeks I figured he'd moved on.
But I always hoped he'd change
his mind and come back. Weeks
turned into months and months
into years and I began to assume
that someone had taken him or
that he was dead. It was always a
painful thing to think about.
How much effort did you make at
first to find him?
The same as most people who lose
cats do. I sent out notes on mes-
sage boards, MySpace and Face-
book, hung up f lyers in the neigh-
bourhood and let Kattholt know.
Did your postings on social media
and other attempts to find Örvar
turn up any leads?
No. We got nothing on that front.
I'm really surprised that no one
asked about him or claimed him
when he ended up in Kattholt a
couple of months ago. People are
stranger than cats.
Had you ever lost a pet before that?
Never. I'd had cats before, and the
one I had before Örvar, named
Jósep, moved three times within
Reyðarfjörður, moved to Reykja-
vík and moved twice within the
city with no problems. He was a
brainy motherfucker for sure—a
legend far and wide.
If Jósep was a legendary cat, and
Örvar has returned home to you af-
ter seven years, doesn't that mean
you have two legendary cats? How
did that happen?
No doubt! Fuck if I know. I'm
good at spotting special kittens,
for sure. They've all been rather
special and had their own things
going on. I'd say Jósep was the
equivalent of Thom Yorke and
Örvar would be Dave Grohl. Both
respected, well liked, cool to their
friends and full of integrity, but
quite different in ways too par-
ticular to get into here.
Tell me about the experience with
Kattholt.
The Kattholt people are great.
The ear tag and computer chip in
Örvar carried obsolete informa-
tion about me so it took them a
long while and hassle to track me
down. They could have given up,
but instead they pressed on and
for that I'm eternally grateful.
They also kept Örvar for a con-
siderable amount of time. Örvar
is old and old cats are the least
popular adoption options at Kat-
tholt, so their window of opportu-
nity was very limited. It's a tough
racket. Fortunately, Kattholt is
clean and they put great care into
handling this difficult situation.
On that note, I urge people to
give old shelter animals a chance.
They are great and deserve great
last days.
What do you imagine Örvar was
doing those seven years he was
missing?
I imagine he was lounging hard
in some place where a kind person
let him in. As an outdoor enthu-
siast, he can probably go out and
come in a window at his own be-
hest. He's a cat: eat, rest, stretch,
patrol, pee on things and mark
shit, fight, hunt, repeat.
Has Örvar’s personality changed in
the seven years since you first lost
him?
Not really. He's got the same ador-
able characteristics that made
him so popular with my friends
in the first place. He still under-
stands loud metal and the art of
keeping it together on the couch
although people are moving about
and changing sitting positions.
He's a calm dude with a penchant
for hanging out and not being too
clingy. What's changed though is
that he's meowing like a senile
and confused person in the mid-
dle of the f loor, for seemingly no
reason. This happens from time
to time, but considering his age
and the shit he may have been
through I think he's earned the
right to be senile.
How has your own life or situation
changed in those seven years?
My situation has changed for the
better on all fronts and Örvar is
benefitting from that. We'll see
what he'll get up to next. Life is an
ever-changing beast.
16The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 5 — 2014
Homeward Bound
In 2007, Iceland’s economy was still in its pre-crash boom days, cruising along to
an eventual 4.9% GDP growth rate. Eiríkur Hauksson, the country’s Eurovision
ambassador, failed to qualify for the final round of the contest entirely. “Eyjaf-
jallajökull” was not yet an unpronounceable byword for “air traffic nightmare”
among global jet setting types. And one fall day, in 105 Reykjavík, Birkir Viðars-
son’s cat Örvar went missing without a trace.
It’s a kind of magic
Guided tours daily
Experience the awarded
design and enjoy the
amazing view.
Information
& booking:
www.harpa.is
Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre
A lost cat is returned to his owner,
seven years later
— By Jonathan Pattishall
Nanna Dís
“Weeks turned into
months and months
into years and I began
to assume that someone
had taken him or that
he was dead. It was
always a painful thing
to think about.”
News | Cats