Cat missing for 10 years returns home on owner's 30th birthday

A 13-year-old tabby cat that went missing 10 years ago has found her way back home.

Her owners Lucy and Hannah Robertson were "heartbroken" in April 2016 when Charlie, then three-years-old, disappeared.

As an outdoor cat, Charlie would spend her days roaming the streets but one day, after recently moving to a new area, she never returned home.

The family spent months looking, never finding any leads.

But last month, the "impossible" happened on Lucy's 30th birthday, they received a call from the vet saying Charlie had been found.

Hannah, 37, moved from Newbridge to Abercarn, in Caerphilly county, a few miles away, 10 years ago.

Within three days, Charlie, whom she described as a "bit fiery", had vanished.

"We did have one or two tip-offs... we tried to find her, but we kept missing her," Hannah said.

"We never lost hope. But sadly, we just couldn't find her," she told BBC Radio Wales Drive.

Lucy said that, despite having asked around, as well as posting on Facebook, there was no sign of Charlie.

"It was heartbreaking. We were scared that she had been knocked over or that she wasn't around any more," she said.

But on 29 July, Hannah was left "gobsmacked" after receiving a call from a veterinary practice in Abercarn saying Charlie had been found.

A person living nearby had found Charlie living in bushes, feeding the supposed stray for weeks before taking her to the vets, who called Hannah from the number found on the microchip.

The vet was also "really shocked" to find out the cat had been missing for a decade, Hannah said.

The friendly tabby was in great health, her fur was fine and she did not look "dishevelled".

"She's been on an adventure," Hannah said, and that she guessed "we'll never know" what happened to Charlie.

Lucy said their beloved pet had recognised them "straight away", describing it as "lovely, because we didn't expect that".

"She doesn't look much different at all, she looks exactly the same as the old photos we have of her," she said.

Lucy said that it "is a bit of a work in progress" getting her used to living with their other pets, "but we're definitely getting there".

However, Charlie had been loving the "food and attention," Lucy said and was just as friendly as she was 10 years ago.

She had also been enjoying the "attention", Lucy said.

"Right now I feel like she knows she's a bit of a celebrity."