A lost cat has been reunited with his owners after he vanished from a family home seven years ago.
Boots, the ginger Tomcat, slipped away from owner Mary-Ann Lloyd’s Birmingham home in 2017.
And when the family moved a few miles away, they were sure they would never see their beloved pet again – but were surprised to see he had been fed by residents in their new neighbourhood for years.
The discovery was made when someone reported Boots to the RSPCA after a regular feeder moved away from the area.
Animal Rescue Officer Lidia went to see if she could help but the cat was too skittish to allow her near him.
Neighbours helped her to get him safely into a humane trap and she was able to scan his microchip and reunite him ith his family before the holiday season.
Mary-Ann said: ‘We had been through such real heartbreak and so we’re just so happy to have him back. We just couldn’t believe it was him, back after seven and a half years.’
Mary-Ann said Boots had settled in immediately with her, partner David and children Ethan, now 19, Mary-Jayne, nine, and Elouise, seven.
Now nine years old, he has also bonded again with his cat sister Misty, and Mary-Ann’s newer cats, Bruno and Raymond.
Mary-Ann added: ‘It’s wonderful. It’s like he’s never been away. When he came home and I fed him, he just started purring really loudly.
“‘The other cats just accepted him straight away and he’s claimed the best spot next to the Christmas tree. We really, really appreciate what the RSPCA has done for us. We can never be more grateful. You never imagine you will get that call.’
Mary-Ann said the mischievous moggy had a habit of getting into bother before he disappeared and once got stuck up a towering conifer tree.
When he vanished, the family launched the usual desperate search, making door-to-door inquiries and putting up posters in the street.
But they heard nothing and feared that he may have been killed. However, when they moved, they made sure the microchip company had their new details.
When David was called about Boots, the family were given a new hope, and eldest child Ethan was reunited with his childhood cat.
The mum added: ‘Boots was Ethan’s cat, so he was especially glad to see him. My youngest had never met him and my middle daughter was just two when he got lost.’
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