A cat has been reunited with its owners two years after going missing.
Jan Barton from Didsbury had been feeding Leo for approximately 18 months as a stray before taking him to Wilmslow Animal Sanctuary on Sunday, 29th November.
Sue Doyle, head of cats at the sanctuary scanned Leo and discovered that he was fortunately microchipped and the details were up to date so they were able to contact his very happy owners Tony and Catherine North who came straight to Wilmslow Animal Sanctuary to collect him.
Tony and Catherine had moved to Fallowfield in 2013 from the same road Jan is living on. Leo had gone back to his old home thinking this was where he lived and stayed there. When Leo went missing Tony and Catherine took all the usual steps of trying to find their beloved pet such as registering him as missing, putting posters up, posting leaflets through doors and alerting their new neighbours. They also went back to their old home but didn't catch sight of him.
Catherine said "It was such a surprise after two years of seeing him. We never thought we would see him again. It was a real shock to get the call.
"We now have three cats, originally we had two and with Leo going missing we got another cat so now he is back we have three."
Catherine added "We were really lucky he was microchipped. If people have animals that aren't it is really worth doing as we wouldn't have found him without it.
"We were advised to keep him in a room on his own for a week until he gets used to the house so we are waiting until the weekend to introduce him to the other cats but he is fine, in good health and just like we remember him."
Speaking about the importance of microchipping, Nicole Foster, from the Animal Sanctuary, said "Thousands of pets are lost or go missing every year without the possibility of being reunited with their owners as they have not been microchipped.
"In fact, we have seen an increase in the numbers of 'stray' cats at the Sanctuary, who, we can tell by their disposition, must have been a much loved pet. At one time they may have worn collars with tags on but these are unreliable and can either fall off or be removed should they become caught on a branch. All of our cats are microchipped, whether they are temporary corridor residents or site cats.
"Dogs and cats with microchips are more likely to be returned to their owners than pets without in fact, from next year it will be compulsory for dogs in England to be chipped. If your pet is already microchipped, make sure you have kept the contact details up to date. Microchipping can only be effective if these are correct. The undeniable fact remains that microchips have reunited hundreds of pets with their owners. Microchipping your pets gives yourself and your pet the best chance of a speedy, happy reunion such as Leo and his owners."
Photo: Leo being reunited with his very happy owners Tony and Catherine, with Jan Barton (right) who had found him and took him to the sanctuary.
