A cat that went missing three years ago has been reunited with its family after being found three and a half miles away, thanks to him having a cat chip.
The 15-year-old cat, named Dino, went missing in April 2020 from his home in Tollington, Nottinghamshire, with the lockdown restrictions in place at the time meaning owner Emma Cowland and her family were limited in how much they could look for him, Nottinghamshire Live reports.
Although Dino had previously disappeared for lengthy periods, he had always returned, so it seemed that this time he must have died.
In fact, the missing moggie made his way to West Bridgford, three-and-a-half miles away on the edge of Nottingham, where he was found this summer by 85-year-old Angela Newsham.
She explained: “I found him around the corner from where I live. I haven’t got a cat anymore and from what I could see, the cat didn’t look good and we had dreadful weather.”
Ms Newsham said she was worried the “tiny” cat might not survive amid the storms and took him in, before contacting Millwood Cattery Rescue in West Bridgford. The cattery scanned Dino and found from his chip that he was registered with the Cowlands in Tollerton. Once they were informed, they were round in minutes to be reunited with their beloved pet.
Expressing her gratitude to Ms Newsham, Emma Cowland said: “When we got the call, we were over the moon. My daughter was there at the time and I just cried, I thought he [Dino] was dead.”
She added: “The microchip system works so well and now, we can see him right into his old age.”
A new law requiring the compulsory microchipping of cats in England will take effect from June 10th 2024, but this tale and many others show why you should not wait until then to get your cat chipped, as had the Cowland family not done so, they would probably never have been reunited with Dino.
