Purr-fect ending as missing cat Sampson turns up year later and 478 miles away

Published on Monday 14 September 2009 22:15

A CAT which went missing more than a year ago from a house in Penicuik has turned up 478 miles away in Plymouth, Devon.

Sampson, a large white and tabby cat with a bashed up face, was identified by an identity chip which showed just how far he had travelled. But owner Linda Jansen has no idea how her cat made its incredible journey – particularly because he is a notoriously bad traveller who has to be sedated on long journeys.

She said: "He went missing over a year ago and we thought we would never see him again. Then out of the blue I got a call from a veterinary surgery in Plymouth. They asked me if I had got a cat called Sampson. He had an electronic identichip – which is how they knew where he had come from."

Linda and her two daughters Kirsten, 12, and Lauren, 16, rescued Sampson from a cat sanctuary in the Borders and discovered he was a friendly creature, despite his battered appearance. The cat spent hours sitting on the balcony of their home looking out at the passers by.

"He was quite a character – and quite a strange looking cat with a face a bit like a boxer. Lots of people knew him – which was why it was strange when he disappeared and we couldn't find him."

Sampson was reluctantly given up for lost until the call came from the Woodlands Veterinary Surgery on Sunday.

Ms Jansen said: "I couldn't sleep all night after I got the call. I thought I would never see him again. I really don't know where he has been for the last year.

"The strangest thing is he is a really bad traveller. He always gets car sick whenever he goes in a car. They told me he looked like he had been living rough, but he had managed to feed himself pretty well – which made me laugh because he loves his food."

Emma Dolley, head nurse at Woodlands, said Sampson had been brought in by a concerned neighbour: "He has a little wound on his head which looks like it might have been from a cat fight, but, apart from that, he seems OK. We are just keeping him safe and warm until his owner can arrange for him to be picked up. We can keep him here for a week, but it is up to the owner to arrange transport home."

Initially Ms Jansen feared it could cost several hundred pounds to transport Sampson back to Penicuik. But when they heard about the family's plight Edinburgh-based Eagle Couriers offered to bring back her beloved cat free of charge.

Director Fiona Deas said: "His is one of the most amazing pet stories I have ever heard. I don't suppose we'll ever find out how the animal ended up on the south coast of England, but we can make sure it gets home safely. As an animal lover myself I can't even begin to imagine the kind of shock and elation the owner must be feeling at the moment. It really is a quite incredible turn of events.

"We understand the animal gets distressed when it is travelling by road, so we will liaise with the vets and do everything we can to make sure the journey home is as comfortable as possible for the big reunion."