Cat missing for 11 years reunited with owners

A pet cat who vanished 11 years ago has been reunited with his owners after turning up 80 miles away from home.

Fergus disappeared from his home in Forres, Moray, in late 2010 but was found in Aberdeen after a volunteer from Cats Protection volunteer followed up reports that a cat had been hanging around a recycling centre for several months.

After tracking down the tabby and scanning it for a microchip, it enable a reunion 11 years in the making.

Using the phone number connected to the chip, owner Fiona Mutter received a phone call with the news that her missing cat Fergus had been found, some 80 miles away from her address in Forres.

Fiona Mutter has been reunited with Fergus after 11 years

Spekaing on the surprise call Fiona said: “It was such a surprise to get the call that Fergus was alive. He was always prone to wandering and would sometimes go off for a few days at a time, but one day he just never came back. We sadly assumed something had happened to him.

“To hear that he was still alive and had ended up so far away was such a shock. We adopted Fergus as a kitten from Cats Protection and he’d been with us for four years before he disappeared.

“When he returned home, we put him in the spare bedroom where it was quiet so he could get used to being in the house, and then introduced him slowly to our other cat, Ozzy. He was soon happy to be handled and stroked; he has such a loud purr! I did buy him a cat bed but he prefers lying on the actual bed!”

Fergus was found 80 miles away

It remains a mystery as to where Fergus may have been for the past 11 years, but it is likely that at some point he travelled in a vehicle to Aberdeen.

Fiona added: “His coat is so shiny, and he’s so friendly, that there’s no way he has been living outside all this time. Someone has been taking good care him.

“We are extremely grateful to the Cats Protection volunteer who went above and beyond to get Fergus home.”

Cats Protection is campaigning for compulsory microchipping of pet cats across the UK, as is already the case for dogs.

In England, the measure is expected to be introduced during 2022, and the charity says it is concerned cats in Scotland are being left behind.

Cats Protection’s Advocacy and Government Relations Officer for Scotland, Alice Palombo, said: “Every day, we see how important microchipping is for cats and for the people who care for them – whether it’s reuniting a lost cat with their owner, identifying an injured cat, or helping to ensure an owner can be informed in the sad event that their cat has been hit and killed by a car.

“With compulsory microchipping for pet cats in England due to be introduced in 2022, we’re concerned that cats in Scotland may be left behind. We’re calling on the Scottish Government to introduce regulations to make microchipping of pet cats compulsory in Scotland.”