Lost Torbay cat reunited with owner after five years

A tabby cat from Torquay has been reunited with his original owner after going missing for five years.

Rupert, as he was known to his most recent owner, was brought to the Animals in Distress Rescue Centre in Ipplepen last week after his owner sadly passed away.

But when staff scanned him for a microchip, they discovered he was actually named Ethan – and had been registered to a different owner.

After phoning the number on the microchip, the team reached Ethan’s original owner, Ian Haskins, who now lives in Exeter. Ian said he was “both shocked and over the moon” to hear that his long-lost cat had been found.

He came straight to the rescue centre, where the pair were reunited. Ian said: “I’m still in shock. Ethan is back with his sister now. We’ve missed him so much! He is such a calm cat and he sleeps on the bed cuddled up on the pillows. Thank you so much for finding him!”

A spokesperson for the Ipplepen Animals in Distress Rescue Centre said, “We love it so much when things work out like this! This story shows the importance of microchipping cats, as without the chip Ethan would never have found his way home.

“Ethan’s interim owner, who took him in as a stray, had the best of intentions and cared for him very well.

"However, Ethan’s story also shows how important it is to take any ‘stray’ cats you find to a vets or a rescue to have them scanned for a microchip before taking them in. They may well be someone’s long lost cat, and very missed.

“We are just delighted that this story has a happy ending for both Ethan and Ian.”

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