Cat returns home after spending seven years lost from family
Boots returned home after going missing from his family seven years prior
Mary-Ann Lloyd and her family were struck with grief when their playful ginger tomcat disappeared from their Birmingham home in 2017.
The family had not long moved when the cat disappeared, and the family lost all hope of ever seeing him again.
However, with the power of microchipping, Boots was returned home to his family more than seven years later, just in time for Christmas.
Mary-Ann had Boots and his sister Misty microchipped when they originally rescued them as kittens - meaning the RSPCA could find him and return him to his family.
To the family's surprise, trouble-prone Boots actually hadn't gone far in the seven years that he was missing - hanging around at the family's former neighbourhood where kind residents fed him.
Boots was reported to the RSPCA after one of his regular feeders moved away.
With the help of the kind neighbours, RSPCA animal welfare officer Lidia was able to get him to safety and was delighted to discover contact details when she scanned Boots' chip.
Happy owner, Mary-Ann, said: "We just couldn't believe it was him, back after seven and a half years.
"We had been through such real heartbreak and so we're just so happy to have him back."
Now nine years old, he has also bonded again to his sister Misty, and Mary-Ann's two other cats, Maine Coons Bruno and Raymond.
Mary-ann added: "It's wonderful. It's like he's never been away. When he came home and I fed him, he just started purring really loudly.
"The other cats just accepted him straight away and he's claimed a spot next to the Christmas tree.
"We really, really appreciate what the RSPCA has done for us. We can never be more grateful. You never imagine you will get that call."
Microchipping for owned cats has been a legal requirement in England since June 2024, with the RSPCA saying the quick and easy procedure can help return a lost cat to their owners if they are lost.
Animal welfare officer Lidia, said: "It’s very rare to reunite a lost cat with its owner after so many years. It was a beautiful moment.
"He wouldn’t let anyone near him but as soon as I got him back to his owners, Mary-Ann and Ethan, you could tell he knew them and was comfortable with them.
"It was so emotional. They were both crying and I cried a little bit as well, but I told them “it’s okay to cry!"