The year was 2008: The Saturdays and Girls Aloud were dominating the charts, George W. Bush was bailing out banks after the financial collapse right as Barack Obama was elected to stand in his place, and Twilight first hit our screens.
It was also when Kitty the cat, owned by the Nash family in Sutton, went missing.
It wasn’t totally uncommon for Kitty to go off wandering, and she would often walk the one mile distance between Julia Nash’s house and her ex-husband’s when the children went to visit him at weekends.
They had first got Kitty in 2003 and straight away Julia’s kids Sam, then 7, Hannah, then 3, and Phillip, then 1, fell in love with her. She was their first pet.
Despite Kitty’s funny way of following the kids between the houses, she would normally always come back to Julia’s when they did. This is why the family grew worried when one weekend in 2008 she failed to return.
As the months passed by with no sign of Kitty, the family feared the worst and mourned their beloved cat.
In an incredible turn of events, however, Kitty was recently found alive by a member of the public who brought her to animal charity Blue Cross earlier this month.
Thanks to Kitty’s microchip, the charity were able to find her family and rang mum Julia, 56, to tell her the good news.
Julia said: ‘I was having coffee with a friend when I got the call and I was in complete shock, repeating ‘Kitty? You found Kitty? My Kitty?’ like a broken record.
‘It just didn’t seem real, it had been 12 years, I was sure that she’d sadly died after going missing but here was someone on the phone telling me they had her.
‘I drove to Blue Cross that very same day to go get her with my son Phillip, and I was convinced that she wouldn’t remember me, it had been too long.
‘Kitty looked so skinny and small, and she had her back to us, cowering in the corner which broke my heart.
‘I gently called her name and she turned around immediately, recognised me and ran over, putting her paws on my shoulder, kissing me and rubbing her head into my cheek.
‘I burst out crying, then Phillip cried, and even the nurses started crying – it was very emotional and so beautiful that my lovely little girl remembered me after so long apart.’
Kitty is now 16, and was brought home to meet Julia’s other cats Milly, 10, Daisy, 9, and Cookie, 3.
Julia said: ‘Kitty was nervous when she first came home after living on the streets for so long and she stayed in the bathroom, sleeping under the radiator to keep warm as she was so skinny.
‘She’s on medication for an overactive thyroid and a high heart and she’s now doing really well. Kitty has taken over my daughter’s bedroom and is eating so much food – she wolfs down about six pouches of cat food a day, so is really making up for lost time!
According to Julia she has already shown the other cats who’s boss: ‘Of they try to come up the stairs when she’s sat at the top, she’ll hiss at them until they run away!’
It’s a miracle that Kitty managed to find her way back to the Nash family, as lots of vets don’t scan for microchips. In that sense, it was just lucky the person who found her took her to a Blue Cross vet.
Blue Cross is an animal charity that helps sick, injured and homeless pets, rehoming animals and educating people on animal welfare.
Louise Newman, Practice Manager at Blue Cross animal hospital in Merton, said: ‘We’re delighted Miss Kitty has been reunited with her owner and is getting on so well back in her home.
‘We couldn’t believe the length of time that had passed since she had been missing. It really shows how important it is to ensure your pet is microchipped and your details kept updated.
‘Luckily, the owner had kept the same phone number and we were able to get in touch with her to reunite her with Miss Kitty.’
Julia concluded: ‘I feel very thankful she’s back – I’m so grateful to Blue Cross for looking after her and checking her microchip so that she could be reunited with us.’
MORE: Instagram artist makes £1m in a year selling naked paintings
MORE: 25-year-old nanny and Youtuber shares how she saved £14,000 in a year
