Tail of the unexpected as missing moggy found living life of sea cat

When Facto disappeared at the end of 2010, owner Patricia Auty, from Leeds, eventually gave up hope of ever seeing him again.

So when the pensioner, of Atha Crescent in Beeston, received a call from a vet last week to say the prodigal puss was alive, she could not quite believe her ears. And her surprise was compounded when she discovered her beloved pet had been living happily for the past 12 months in Filey.

“I couldn’t believe it. We still have no idea where he was for the first two years, but he has been living with a lady who had taken him in after finding him about 12 months ago,” she said. “We’re so happy to have him back.”

The hunt for Facto, now 11, began after he failed to return home around Christmas 2010.

Despite local enquiries, letters through the doors of neighbours and an appeal through Leeds Cat Rescue, neither hide nor hair was seen of the eight-year-old feline.

It was when his adopted owner took him to a vet in the seaside town that Facto’s exploits were revealed and his real owner traced thanks to a microchip he was fitted with.

Mrs Auty, 72, added: “You just don’t expect it. But as soon as we got him home he was back in his favourite spot. It’s like he was never away.”

A spokeswoman for the charity Cats Protection said: “We’re really pleased to hear that Facto has been safely reunited with his owner.

“We may never know where he was or how he survived during the time he was missing. However, cats are extremely resourceful creatures and can adapt to many different habitats.

“Cases like these just go to show how important it is to microchip your cat as this is a safe and permanent method of identification and increases the chances of a lost cat being safely reunited with his owner as in this case.”