My cat disappeared for 9 years – this is where we found him

Lucie Warrington had conscionable finished a lawsuit telephone erstwhile she got a substance from her hubby a twelvemonth ago, telling her she’d amended beryllium down.

 The vet, incapable to interaction Lucie, had called to present the quality that they had recovered her long-lost feline Leo; missing-presumed-dead since 2014.

His disappearance happened aft Lucie moved to Rome temporarily with her hubby Stu, leaving her favored cats, brothers Leo and Lewis, with a friend’s sister.

‘Four days aft we got to Rome, my person Helen rang maine and said her sister was devastated; Leo had gone missing aft a day,’ remembers Lucie.

Knowing Leo was a wanderer, she reassured the catsitter that he’d soon beryllium back. However, aft a week, helium inactive hadn’t returned and her friend’s sister was truthful wracked with guilt and distress, that Helen decided to look aft the remaining cat, Lewis.  

Lucie, a movie shaper from Leeds, tried to person herself that Leo had simply gone disconnected to unrecorded with a small aged woman somewhere, but heavy down she thought her beloved favored had astir apt been deed by a car.

Then, a week later, she received different heartbreaking telephone from Helen – Lewis had been tally over.

‘Within 2 weeks of being successful Rome, some cats were seemingly dead. It was horrendous,’ remembers Lucie, 44. ‘I spent a full time crying. I besides felt guilty; we’d gone to unrecorded successful Rome and near idiosyncratic other to look aft the cats. We swore instantly that we would ne'er person a feline again. We couldn’t header with it. It was conscionable excessively upsetting’.

The years went by and the mates wanted different pet, but not wanting to repetition history, they decided to get a canine and successful 2020, aft months of gruelling lockdown misery, the mates got a Romanian rescue, followed by different 1 six months later.

‘Dogs enactment with you and you take them connected walks. But cats up and leave; we wouldn’t privation to support a feline wrong the location oregon look the hazard of them getting tally over,’ she reasons.

But past past year, Lucie got the telephone to archer her that Leo was inactive alive.

 She says: ‘My hubby said: “They’ve got Leo”.’ I said: “No they’ve not. He’s dead.”’

A speedy telephone to the vet revealed different and it emerged that Leo had been surviving arsenic a pistillate feline nether an assumed sanction at Lancaster Park petting farm adjacent Oldham.

The farmer’s dad, who has since passed away, had a feline called Jess, who went missing. When she ne'er came back, Leo seemingly took her spot and the farmer’s girl was none-the-wiser, until she took ‘Jess’ to the vet astir a limp. 

While there, she asked them to scan Leo’s microchip truthful her father’s details could beryllium removed, but Lucie’s accusation appeared instead.

The vet asked Lucie if she wanted Leo back.  

‘I thought “God, no”. Our rescue dogs are frightened of everything – including cats. And Leo is 14 – it wouldn’t beryllium just to re-home him. We unrecorded successful a antithetic location from the 1 helium left.’

 Happily, the husbandman wanted to support him and Lucie was invited to visit.

When she went to spot him aft 9 years, Lucie was overjoyed to spot Leo coexisting happily with sheep, goats and tortoises – and bedding down with the rabbits each nighttime – and instantly burst into tears.

‘The husbandman initially thought I was crying due to the fact that I wanted him back. It was each precise emotional. Then Leo conscionable followed america astir portion we explored the farm. He was ever a affable cat, but I similar to deliberation helium recognised me.’ 

Lucie learned Leo had astir apt arrived connected the workplace successful 2019, but she inactive doesn’t cognize however helium turned up astatine a determination 20 miles distant from wherever helium went missing, oregon what happened successful the 5 years between.

‘What did helium bash during that time? Where did helium go? That small aged woman I told myself he’d gone to unrecorded with indispensable person been progressive astatine immoderate point. Was helium adopted by idiosyncratic who moved oregon died? What adventures did helium have?’

While Lucie volition ne'er know, she says she was relieved to spot her feline backmost from the dead, looking steadfast and happy, and enjoying his beauteous location beingness connected the farm.  

‘He looked truthful young still; truly steadfast and happy. It was truthful cute. I couldn’t hold to archer everyone I knew. They were each successful tears. It was conscionable an astonishing crook of events.

‘It’s similar a children’s communicative wherever you accidental a favored has gone to unrecorded connected a farm, alternatively than admit they’re dead. But this really did happen, which inactive makes america laugh.

Even though we haven’t seen him for a while, I anticipation Leo is inactive astir and surviving his champion life.’ 

 After uncovering retired her much-loved feline was inactive present – and that she was allowed to sojourn whenever she wanted – Lucie near a connection with Helen, who burst into tears and told her sister that Leo was live and kicking.  

‘When I near I didn’t consciousness bittersweet leaving him there,’ she says. ‘Because of the acceptable up; determination were truthful galore different animals to play with; helium conscionable seemed truly happy. It didn’t consciousness weird to permission him; it felt right.’

MORE : My canine has anxiety. This astonishing attraction has wholly chilled him out

MORE : Sorry, dogs, you haven’t ever been person’s champion friend

MORE : Family thought feline they wanted was 19lbs – it was 19kgs

This tract is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.