Cat missing for five years reunited with owner after turning up at North Devon school

A stray cat who had been living in the grounds of a North Devon school and cared for by kindly staff has been reunited with her owner after going missing five years ago.

The timid stray tortoiseshell appeared in the grounds of West Buckland School around 14 months ago and was looked after by the domestic team, wo gave her food and shelter but it took many months for them to gain her trust.

When they were finally able to get her to a vet for a check up and to see if she was microchipped, they were stunned to learn that Rosie, her real name, had been missing from her home in Bideford for five years.

That’s a distance of some 13.5 miles from Bideford to West Buckland, as the crow flies – or the cat walks.

Above: Rosie was a favourite with West Buckland School staff, pictured here taking her ease in the caretaker's office, but it took a long time to gain her trust. Credit: Pete Vass

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Above: Some of the West Buckland School staff who looked after Rosie while she was with them for a year. Pictured are Robert Peake, Sheldon Cornaby and Pete Vass. Credit: WB School

When the school posted their discovery on Facebook, delighted owner Vicky Hopkins responded to say her daughter had been given two kittens, Rosie and Jim, in 2015.

Then in 2021 Rosie did not return from one of her frequent wanders and after three months, the family feared the worst.

Above: Rosie as a kitten with her brother Jim. Credit: Vicky Hopkins

Vicky said they had been holidaying at Butlins when she received a call from a South Molton vet and they were stunned to hear the news, thinking at first the vet had the wrong number.

Vicky said: “We arrived at the vets still with so many questions and there she was! Not looking a day older than when she left, in fact she was so much bigger (you guys have fed her well).

“She is currently snuggled up on my daughter’s bed fast asleep, her brother is not too impressed that she has taken his spot on the bed but we think she deserves it.

Above: Rosie at home in Bideford before she went missing, pictured with her canine sibling, who is now five-years-old. Credit: Vicky Hopkins

Vicky continued: “West Buckland School, we honestly cannot thank you enough for the care and compassion you have given to Rosie, I dread to think what she has been going though until she came across you guys.”

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Everyone at West Buckland School is thrilled Rosie has been able to return home but said they would miss her gentle presence.

Sheldon Cornaby, who works at the school, said on Facebook it had been an ‘absolute pleasure’ to hear Rosie was home.

He added: “Rosie has been in the school grounds for over a year and living off the land - she’s excellent at catching moles according to grounds team.

“Rosie took ages to get our trust; Robert Peake was the first person to start feeding her and Christine Gunn and Pete Vass the caretakers looked after her at the weekends, even when the school was closed for Christmas.

“Some house parents came to feed her (probably why she’s so chunky). We are so glad she is home and we will miss her. Rosie must have some stories to tell - hopefully she is grounded for a very long time!”