Cat missing for four years is home for Christmas thanks to Doncaster vets

Bob was taken to Arundell Vets in Kirk Sandall to see if he was microchipped after he was found wandering around the local area, triggering concerns that he was lost or a stray.

A quick scan revealed he had an identity chip, enabling Arundell Vets’ team to trace his owners in Balby, seven miles away, and share the good news.

A microchip is a small chip about the size of a grain of rice which is inserted under a cat’s skin – usually by a vet, a local authority or an animal welfare organisation, such as Cats Protection.

The microchip gives a cat their own unique code and is held on a database.

Owners Nadine and Russ Graham were delighted to receive the surprise phone call from Arundell Vets and be reunited with five-year-old Bob who is in good health despite his mysterious four-year absence.

Christina Groves, clinical director at Arundell Vets, is now urging pet owners to ensure their cats and kittens are microchipped and that their contact details are kept up to date.

“This is a lovely happy ending for Bob and his owners as well as for our team as half the cats brought to us as strays are not microchipped or the details are not up to date which means we can’t contact the owner.

“If we don’t find the owner, we organise for them to go to a rescue centre to be rehomed but that obviously leaves an owner potentially still looking for their cat which is very sad.”

Nadine said Bob’s sister Lunar, who had pined for him when he first went astray, was now getting used to sharing her home with him again.

She added: “It was amazing to get the call from Arundell Vets. I am very grateful to them and the person who took him to the vets. For years everyone has been saying that Bob must be dead, but I was confident that he was being fed elsewhere.

“We microchipped Bob and Lunar as soon as we got them. I seriously think I would never have seen him again otherwise.

“When he went missing, we knocked on doors and put posters around the area and in shops. We searched for a couple of months before accepting that he was gone.

“When I picked him up at the practice he was exactly as he was and suckled my hand like he used to as a kitten.”

Microchipping becomes compulsory for all cats over the age of 20 weeks in England from June 10 th 2024, and owners face a fine of up to £500 if they don’t comply. Arundell Vets also provides microchipping for other small animals.

For more information, contact the vet practice.