This article is more than 11 years old

This article is more than 11 years old

A cat named Clyde has been reunited with his owner after a mysterious three-year odyssey in which the long-haired Himalayan strayed 2,400 miles into the Australian outback.

Ashleigh Sullivan, 19, said she had given up hope of finding Clyde after he vanished aged one from her family home near Hobart city, Tasmania.

"I'm positive he remembers. He's not acting like he's suddenly appeared somewhere and is frantic," Sullivan said as she tearfully held her contented cat.

A nurse found Clyde wandering at a hospital in the remote Queensland state town of Cloncurry and cared for him for four months before taking him to a local vet as she was leaving town and could not take him with her.

The vet, Donna Weber, traced Clyde's owner from his identification microchip.

But no one has a clue how Clyde managed the 185-mile journey across the Bass strait from Tasmania, off mainland Australia's south-east coast, and then about more than 2,000 miles further to Cloncurry.

An animal transport company returned the cat to Hobart for free – flying most of the way.

"It's pretty special to have him back." Sullivan said. "I'm overwhelmed."