A missing moggy has stunned owners by returning home - nearly three-and-a-half years after he disappeared.

Lionel vanished from his Bishopbriggs home in October 2012.

His distraught family launched a wide-spread search for the missing ginger and white puss but he couldn’t be traced.

But last week they received a telephone call out of the blue to tell them the pet had been found.

Lionel – who it is thought had been moving between different homes – was taken to a local vet after he started to visit a new family in the area.

The family, who live just half-a-mile from the home Lionel vanished from, suspected he might be missing.

Staff at Bishopbriggs Veterinary Centre discovered the cat was microchipped and contacted his owners who were said to be shocked and delighted.

Vets say Lionel is in a good condition, suggesting that he was being looked after.

He has now been reunited with his family.

A spokeswoman for Bishopbriggs Veterinary Centre said: "Thanks to some kind members of the public, our receptionist Liz and nurse Gemma, and the insertion of a microchip, Lionel was reunited with his owners after three-and-a-half years of being missing.”



The Glasgow branch of the Cat's Protection League was involved in the search for Lionel.

The charity said:“His family never stopped looking out for him.

“They were stunned but absolutely delighted when they went to collect him they discovered that he had been found half a mile away from his home.

“He had recently started to visit a family who knew he wasn’t a resident cat from their area so they took him to a vet to be scanned.

“A wee reminder to everyone about the importance of microchipping - microchipping is a safe and permanent means of identification which increases the chances of a missing cat being reunited with back with its family.”

Bishopbriggs Veterinary Centre hit the headlines last month after they operated on a dog whose face had been speared by a stick.

The Evening Times told you how Maya the Collie was seriously injured in a game of fetch gone wrong.

This prompted vet Angie McLaughlin to raise awareness of the dangers of throwing sticks for dogs.