Beloved cat missing for months is reunited with owner after wandering into animal rescue conference
A cat who had been missing for three months has been reunited with his owner after wandering into an animal rescue conference in Telford, of all places.
As several attendees took a break during the Association of Dog and Cat Homes conference at the Telford International Centre last week, they were greeted by a large black-and-white cat who had taken an interest.
The manager of Cats Protection, Beni Benstead, was the chosen 'lap of choice' as the cat decided to snuggle in to her lap and make himself comfortable.
When the delegation informed rehoming supervisor Sallie Conroy – of Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary in Bury – that the cat had been hanging around them for some time, she decided to fetch a microchip scanner.
The microchip revealed a phone number – and they managed to get in touch with owner Sian Tawn, who confirmed it was her pet Sammy who had gone missing earlier in the year.
Sian was travelling into work at the time and immediately made a detour to collect her beloved cat to bring him home.
Beni said: “It was a team effort to get this lovely cat back to his owner. It really was a stroke of luck for him to wander up to a group of cat lovers who immediately sprung into action to try and get him back home.
"Sian was so excited to see Sammy, and we look forward to hearing how he settles back in with his family.”
The conference centre where Sammy had been hanging out was some seven-minute drive from his original home.
Sian said: “We had feared the worst that we would not see Sammy again. He was an adventurous cat who would wander off for a day or two at a time but after he was gone for five days we didn’t think we would see him again.
“It was a stressful time as we were moving house and I was panicking about what would happen if he turned up once we’d moved, but to be honest we didn’t think he would.
“It was amazing to get the call to say he had been found and was alive.
"I immediately brought him home and after a quick explore of his new home, and seeing the cats he was brought up with, he went upstairs to be with my husband and just slept non-stop.”
“Considering he may have been living on the streets all this time, he looks quite well.
"He has lost a lot of weight and has some bald patches where his very long fur may have got caught, but people must have been looking out for him.”
As well as a new house, Sammy will also have to get used to a new puppy in the home, and a new baby on the way in just a few weeks.
Sian was excited about picking up her four-year-old son, Bruce, from nursery and sharing the news that Sammy had been found.
Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary manager Karen Weed said: "I am so pleased that Sammy decided to visit the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes Conference for help. It really is like he knew where to come.
"We were all so delighted to see him being reunited with his owner.”
Microchipping cats will become compulsory in England from June 2024.
Cats Protection’s research shows that across the UK, 2.8 million – 26 per cent – cats are not microchipped.
In England there are 2.3 million cats that are not microchipped.
For more information about microchipping your cat visit cats.org.uk/microchipping.
