Missing cat reunited with owner after 11 years on the street Published duration 6 March

image copyright Claire Davis image caption Missy is back after escaping from her owner's car in 2009

A cat that was missing for almost 11 years has been reunited with her owner - after living on the streets almost eight miles away from home.

Missy escaped from Eve McDonnell's car in 2009 at Five Ways in Birmingham and despite a search was never found.

But residents in Hall Green spotted the cat living amid rubbish and took her to a rescue centre where they discovered she was microchipped.

Ms McDonnell said she was in a "state of disbelief" Missy, now 17, was alive.

"I never stopped thinking about her. You just don't forget your pets - they are irreplaceable," she said, after an emotional reunion with Missy earlier this week.

Missy had escaped from Ms McDonnell's car when she stopped to buy some milk.

image copyright Ali Shah image caption Missy has been settling back into her old home

Ali Shah and his mother Salma had frequently seen Missy "camping" on a driveway near their home.

As winter hit, Mr Shah said the cat would still sleep on top of a bin or in piles of rubbish.

"When I spoke to the owner of the driveway, he informed me that the cat had one day simply followed him home and wasn't allowed in," he said.

The pair befriended Missy and would feed her and even built a wooden shed for her to sleep in.

image copyright Ali Shah image caption Residents in Hall Green tried to make Missy's life comfortable on the street

After Mr Shah sent a video of Missy sleeping in the rain to his mother, she decided to rescue her, taking her into their home, where she stayed for several days before being taken to Little Haven Rescue in Sutton Coldfield.

Rescue centre owner Clare Davis took Missy to an emergency vets where a microchip was discovered and she was traced back to 72-year-old Ms McDonnell.

"Her spine was protruding all the way down her back, that's how skinny she came in. Her white fur is discoloured because she's been sleeping rough" she said.

Ms McDonnell said she felt a "mixture of emotions" at hearing Missy was still alive.

Missy has to eat kitten food, because she has lost many teeth, but has returned to her favourite place to sleep, on the stairs at their home in Harborne.

"She's had a rough time, but she's still my cat," Ms McDonnell said.