When Michelle's two-year-old cat Astro went missing almost five years ago, she said she had "never expected to see him again".

He had gone for a walk around her Noranda home in December 2012, and when he failed to return in time for his dinner Michelle immediately began the frantic search for her beloved pet.

Astro the adventurer. Credit:Michelle

"I posted on Gumtree, the Lost Perth Pets [Facebook] page... I searched endlessly for him," she said.

Michelle said she had only recently given up hope – nearly five years after Astro had originally gone missing.