An adventurous moggy found hiding underneath a car has been reunited with her owners after vanishing four years ago.
Bella disappeared from her home in Dunfermline, Fife, in May 2017 while her family were away on holiday and she was being cared for by a friend.
Searches for the beloved puss drew a blank and her owners, the Caldicotts, were forced to tell their young boys that their pet was never coming home.
But a call from a concerned member of the public regarding an injured stray cat in Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, on January 29 has provided a happy ending for Bella and her owners.
Her microchip details remained up to date and her family were quickly traced by the Scottish SPCA - but it remains a mystery how she managed to travel 15 miles away.
Animal rescue officer, Kelly McGuire, said, “Bella was found on Tillicoultry High Street soaking wet and sheltering under a car.
“The member of the public who found her took her home and called our helpline. When I collected Bella, she was quite thin but otherwise appeared to be in good health.
“Thankfully Bella was microchipped and the details were up-to-date so I contacted the number provided.
“I was absolutely shocked to hear she had been missing since 2017. How she travelled over 15 miles from Fife to Clackmannanshire is anyone’s guess.
“I returned Bella home to her family, the Caldicotts, and they were over the moon to have her back.”
The family was astonished to hear that Bella was on her way home after such a long time away.
Mr Joel Caldicott said: “Bella went missing on the day we returned home from a holiday in May 2017.
“We must have just missed her as our friend fed her that morning and we arrived home in the afternoon.
“Sadly, we didn’t see Bella again. We had to tell our sons, who were all under 10-years-old at the time, that Bella wasn’t coming back. That was very difficult for all of us.
“When Kelly phoned out of the blue to tell us that Bella had been found after almost four years missing we were completely shocked but elated too.
“Our sons are just thrilled to have Bella back. Especially one of the boys as Bella has adopted his room as her own.
“She was a bit unsure for the first few days but now it’s like she’s never been away.
“We are really thankful to Kelly and the Scottish SPCA for bringing Bella back home, it’s like the happy ending of a Disney film.”
