‘Beyond grateful’: Cat rescued on MacKay Bridge reunited with family

Franco the cat was rescued on the MacKay Bridge in Halifax on Friday, May 1, 2026. She is pictured in an undated photo. (Courtesy: Adam Wadden)

A cat that was rescued on Halifax’s MacKay Bridge during the Friday morning rush hour has now been reunited with her family.

Adam Wadden and his wife Courtney were confused when they saw pictures of their cat Franco all over social media Friday – especially because they live in Elmsdale, N.S.

“We live 40 minutes from the MacKay Bridge, so it was a big shock to us,” Wadden told CTV News on Saturday.

He said they’re still trying to figure out how she got there in the first place.

“We retraced our steps to see if our vehicle went over the MacKay Bridge that morning, which it didn’t. My wife didn’t go into work that day. She worked from home. So, it’s a very odd scenario. We’re scratching our heads about the whole situation.”

Thankfully, a kind stranger managed to safely rescue Franco during their busy commute.

“We’re just obviously super grateful that the lady stopped on the bridge and put herself in harm’s way to save our cat; beyond grateful,” said Wadden.

The cat was rescued by an employee with Scotia Fuels. She wasn’t microchipped, so they kept the cat in the office until the end of the day, when they dropped her off at Spay Day in Bedford.

Saturday’s reunion

The cat rescue posted a photo of Franco on Facebook trying to find her owners. That’s how the Waddens found out about their cat’s adventure.

They were able to pick her up Saturday morning.

“The kids are super excited. They obviously love the cat. She’s been around since before they were born. We rescued her about 12 years ago, so she’s been with us forever,” said Wadden.

“Once we got her into the car, she was purring the whole drive home back to Elmsdale.”

Wadden said the folks at Spay Day were amazing and he’s very thankful for their help.

“Thankfully, nothing happened to her, and she was super healthy when we got her, and she was getting taken care of by the rescue very well,” he said.

“It’s a crazy, crazy experience, for sure.”

Wadden said Franco is an indoor-outdoor cat, but she usually doesn’t go too far.

“She goes out at night sometimes, and she’ll be in our backyard, and then she’s on the front step when we let her in in the evening or in the morning when we get up,” said Wadden.

When she wasn’t there Friday morning, they were worried, but said this wasn’t the first time she wasn’t there first thing.

“As the day progressed, she still wasn’t around, and so we put the kitty litter outside, so she could smell it, and get her scent in case.”

‘Bridget MacKay’

Now that she’s back home, Wadden said they’re going to try to keep her indoors as much as possible.

“She’s very persistent about going outside, but now that she’s getting a bit older, we’re going to definitely try and keep her inside from now on because we don’t want the cat to go on any more crazy adventures and end up on social media again. I think her famous days are over.”

Ever since she’s been home, Wadden said she’s been cuddling with their puppy and is happy to be home. After this whole ordeal, they are considering a name change though.

“We really do like the new name of Bridget MacKay. We think it’s really cute,” he said.

Hours after they were reunited with Franco, or Bridget MacKay, the family went back to Spay Day to donate some food to the shelter as a thank you for their service.

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