Lost Yorkshire cat reunites with family for Christmas after four years, all thanks to a microchip

Bob, a five-year-old cat from Doncaster, has been reunited with his owners after being missing for more than four years.

A cat was brought into Arundell Vets, in Kirk Sandall, after being found wandering in the local area and there were concerns he was a stray cat.

However, a sure fire way to find out is to check for a microchip, which, after a quick scan, it was revealed the cat actually belonged to a family in nearby Balby.

The vet practice contacted Bob’s owners, Nadine and Russ Graham, who were delighted to have their cat back after so long away.

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.

Bob’s owner credits finding him to the cat being microchipped as Nadine said: “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.”

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.

She said: “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.”

From June 10, 2023, microchipping is going to become compulsory for all cats over the age of 20 weeks in England, otherwise, owners face a fine of up to £500.