It’s a miracle that the kitty was found after so long – but what awaited it at home was something it definitely didn’t expect!

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When Ashleigh Archer Stark’s cat failed to show up for dinner at the end of March 2023, she began to worry. After several days passed with no sign of him, she turned to social media for help, fearing the cat had gotten into trouble. Despite sharing photos of her pet, no one had seen the pitch-black kitty. Ashleigh and her husband, William, waited in vain for months for Stark to return. Then one day – on 24 October 2023, to be precise – an unexpected email arrived.

In doubt

A London-based animal rescue organisation contacted them to say their cat had been found. What was shocking was that the couple live in Cambridgeshire, more than 110 kilometres from London. Even more worrying, however, was that the email did not say whether the cat was alive. As Ashleigh later told local news outlets, they spent a terrible night wracked with doubt. Fortunately, all the anxiety proved unnecessary: a phone call the next morning revealed that Stark had been taken in by staff at a local office, who had been feeding and spoiling him since May. They eventually brought him to animal welfare workers only because they were concerned about the approaching cold weather.

A long journey

How the four-year-old cat managed to travel so far remains a mystery. It is suspected that someone may have taken him along, or that he climbed into a vehicle and set off as a stowaway. The fact that he returned home safe and sound after seven months is almost miraculous – although, surprisingly, there are one or two globe-trotting cats known to have pulled off similar feats.

Unexpected circumstances

The owners went to collect their rediscovered pet brimming with happiness, but Stark’s joy was not quite so carefree once he got home. It turned out he was no longer the sole ruler of his domain: in his absence, the couple had taken in another cat. As they explained, their dog missed his purring friend so much that they felt they had to find him a new companion.

At the sight of Stark, the dog almost jumped out of his skin, and fortunately the senior cat soon made friends with his new housemate as well.

Checking a microchip in a cat – the microchip is also very important for cats

Since then, Ashleigh has been encouraging all pet owners searching for a lost animal not to give up hope, and urging everyone else to have their cats microchipped as soon as possible.

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