Missing hotel cat Atlas prompts month-long search in northern Iceland

A month-long search has failed to locate Atlas, a cat that disappeared from Hótel Skúlagarður, a hotel in Kelduhverfi by Öxarfjörður, in mid-August, mbl.is reports.

Atlas was known as the hotel’s “manager” and usually stayed inside the hotel or in the surrounding area, where he greeted guests. Hotel owner Egill Bjarnason, who runs the hotel with his wife, Sigrún Björg Aðalgeirsdóttir, said Atlas received favourable reviews from visitors.

Staff members have missed him particularly and have organised several searches.

Two theories about Atlas’s disappearance

One theory is that Atlas fell into a crevice in the area. The landscape around the hotel is heavily marked by ground movements associated with the Krafla fires, raising concerns that he may have fallen into one of the openings.

Dog enthusiasts who train tracking dogs searched the area, but found no trace of him.

Another theory is that Atlas may have travelled in a car. He had previously shown an interest in cars in the area, so posters have been distributed across northern and eastern Iceland.

Many responses have been received, but they have concerned other cats resembling Atlas. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to get in touch.