Family joy as missing cat turns up six years after disappearing

A FAMILY has been reunited with its lost cat – six years after it vanished from home.

Saffy disappeared in 2004, leaving worried owner Susan Skillen, of Glasgow, searching high and low for her beloved moggy.

Eventually, Susan and her daughters, Nicolle, 21, and Kelsie, 12, gave up all hope of seeing the animal again. However, they were shocked to receive a call from the Scottish SPCA to say the cat had been found half-starved in the Drumchapel area of the city.

The SSPCA said Saffy's amazing reunion with her owners after so many years had only come about because the cat had been fitted with an identity microchip.

Ms Skillen, who runs a cat and dog grooming business, said: "I don't suppose I'll ever know whether she's been living rough or been taken in by someone else.

"She didn't have a collar on and she only has half a tail, so it's been broken or trapped in something at some point.

"She remembered me straight away because as soon as I said her name, she came running over to me. I think she's really happy to be home because she hasn't made any attempt to leave the house and she's staying close to me all the time.

"We spent a small fortune on her the first day she came back – buying her collars, toys and presents.

"I took her to get her nails done too, I don't think she will be wanting to go anywhere again."

Peter Fleming, manager at the SSPCA's Glasgow Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre, said: "We have previously reunited a cat with its owner after it was missing for three and a half years, but Saffy's story beats that record hands down.

"This just goes to show how important it is to get your pet microchipped."