Malcolm the cat and owner Susan MacDonald reunited after 8 years Published duration 16 February 2015

image copyright Susan MacDonald image caption Malcolm was reunited with his owner after going missing for eight years

A cat has been reunited with its owner after going missing for eight years.

Malcolm, a tabby with white patches, disappeared from his home in Devon 2007.

He was reunited with owner Susan MacDonald on Saturday after he was found about 20 miles away and a vet scanned his microchip.

Mrs MacDonald said he was the same as when he went missing "but a little more rotund".

She said: "My animals mean the world to me and I was gutted when he went missing.

"I often used to think about him - it was the not knowing that I didn't like."

Malcolm vanished from Mrs MacDonald's home in Rockbeare near Exeter.

He was found wandering the streets of Cullompton by vet Maureen Hutchison who scanned his microchip and contacted his owner.

image copyright Susan MacDonald image caption Susan MacDonald has been reunited with her cat Malcolm after eight years

"I could not believe it. You never think you are going to see your animal eight years later," said Mrs MacDonald.

She said Malcolm, now 11, was "full of kisses" and a "laid-back, loving cat".

'Well fed'

"He doesn't remember me, however much that hurts.

"He has been gone for eight years, that's about 64 years in a cat's life.

"He is just how I remember him but a little more rotund."

Mrs Hutchison said: "He has obviously been doing very well for himself the last eight years and is certainly well fed."

Pet microchips contain a unique identification number which is linked to a database containing details of the pet, as well as the owner's contact details.