An adventurous cat who went missing for 12 years has been reunited with his family.
Quincey vanished just before Christmas in 2006, and his owner Margaret Smith was devastated.
Margaret searched for months and died two years later, aged 64, believing he must have been killed.
But the missing moggy finally turned up ten miles away and has been taken in by Margaret’s daughter Paula.
“My mum really adored Quincey,” said Paula. “He was such a friendly and lovable cat. She was heartbroken when he went missing and searched high and low for him, without any luck.
“Because Quincey had epilepsy we thought he must have had a fatal fit or been hit by a car.
“Out of the blue I saw a Facebook post from the local Cats Protection trying to trace relations of Margaret Smith, along with a photo of Quincey.
“I really couldn’t believe it. They’d scanned him for a microchip and found her details then discovered she’d died.”
Quincey, who is 15, had found his way from Witham in Essex to Braintree – where he was taken in by the charity’s Colne Valley branch as a stray.
And mum-of-three Paula, 54, a parcel delivery driver who lives in Braintree, could not wait to bring her late mum’s pet home.
“It’s such wonderful news and so great to see Quincey again. All my family are huge cat lovers so I had no hesitation in taking him in.
“He’s a very old cat now but he’ll get lots of cuddles and attention so can live out his older years in comfort.
“Mum would have been really pleased he’s finally made his way back to us. She really adored him.”
Jan Lardelli, volunteer at Cats Protection’s Colne Valley branch, said: “Sadly Margaret died long before Quincey was found. But it’s lovely to see people reunited with much-loved cats and it’s clear how special Quincey is to Margaret’s family.”
The happy reunion comes as Cats Protection renews calls for a change in the law to ensure all owned cats, like dogs, are microchipped.
