Cat owner's purr-fectly happy ending after being reunited with 'dead' pet - NINE years after she disappeared from home



An overjoyed cat owner has been reunited with her missing moggy - nine years after she wandered off from her family home.



Gilly Delaney was left distraught after hearing her beloved pet Dixie had been killed by a car in 1999.

So it came as a big surprise when RSPCA officers turned up on Mrs Delaney's doorstep - with her missing pet in tow.

The officers, who scanned Dixie's microchip, returned her to her rightful owner after they found her wandering less than half a mile away from Mrs Delaney's home.

Miracle: Dixie looked somewhat the worse for wear when she returned home after being missing for nine years

The delighted owner said she never gave up hope of finding her beloved cat, even after hearing she had died.

She said: 'Words cannot express how overjoyed we are to have Dixie back.

'When she went missing I put up posters, knocked on people’s doors and contacted the local papers.'

Husband Alan revealed the couple were thinking of moving from their house in Erdington, Birmingham but his wife had been reluctant in case missing Dixie ever returned.

He said: 'A few years ago we were going to move house to Malta, but Gilly wasn't keen.

'When Dixie came back she admitted she didn't want to move house because she always thought he might turn up because that's her home and that's where she knows.'

Re-united: Gilly Delaney was overjoyed when her cat returned from its travels

Home comforts: Dixie slips straight back into life with her owner who never gave up hope of finding her

The RSPCA said returning missing cats to the owners was rarely successful as the majority are not microchipped and their owners could not be traced.

RSPCA Animal Collection Officer, Alan Pittaway, said: 'I was delighted that the cat was chipped as we pick up so many animals where we have no way of knowing who they belong to.



'In 29 years of working for the RSPCA I have never seen anyone so excited and happy as Mrs Delaney.



'I hope this story will encourage more people to have their pets microchipped as if your pet is chipped then you can never give up hope of being reunited with a missing pet.'

Mrs Delaney insists their time apart has not broken the bond between her and her pet and said her cat was still the same as she ever was.

She said: 'Dixie’s personality, behaviour and little mannerisms have not changed at all. She is still a happy, contented cat who just wants to sit next to you on the sofa and have a fuss.

'She hasn't stopped purring since she came back through the door.'