Missing Sunderland cat reunited with owner 14 MONTHS after vanishing

Black cat Bella went missing from the home of her owner, Gareth Pillans in Witherwack, in October 2020, leading to a frantic search to find her.

After more than a year on, Gareth had given up hope of ever finding her until he received a phone call out of the blue from Gilmoor Vets in Gilesgate, Durham City.

The carer, who looks after people with learning difficulties, was told that Bella had been brought into the practice after being found in a distressed state in a nearby supermarket car park.

Despite being 15 miles from home, the practice was able to trace her owner because she was microchipped – leading to an emotional reunion.

Gareth believes Bella may have stowed away in a delivery van that had been in his neighbourhood on the day she disappeared.

He said: “Even though I never stopped looking for Bella, I didn’t really hold out much hope of ever seeing her again. I was completely caught off guard when I received the phone call from Gilmoor Vets and I burst out crying.

“It’s an amazing feeling of elation and I immediately rang my family, who also couldn’t believe it. When I went to collect her, I immediately recognised her and she kissed me on the nose.

"I’m over the moon having her back and she seems really happy to be home.”

Gilmoor Vets is now urging owners to have their cats microchipped, which will soon be compulsory, and ensure contact details are kept up to date on the database.

Nurse Sarah Willetts said: “A man came in to ask if he could borrow a cat carrier as there was a distressed cat in Tesco car park and he said he would bring it in to check if it was microchipped.

"When he returned with Bella, I took her into the back and scanned her and sure enough she had a registered chip.

“When I checked the database, I saw she had been missing since 29th October 2020, but I was able to access the owner’s details.

“Gareth was completely overjoyed, upset and emotional that his beloved cat he had been searching for had finally reappeared after more than a year."

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