The cat came back. NINE years later: ‘Magical’ moment elderly duo are reunited with their lost cat Cleo who they feared had been killed by a car

By Isobel Frodsham For Mailonline 12:01 BST three Mar 2017, updated Ten:00 BST thirty one May two thousand seventeen

Cleo went missing from the home of Peter and Yvonne Best in Peterborough
Two people took her in and cared for her, believing she was a stray cat
She was reunited with Mr and Mrs Best when she was taken to Wood Green charity

A cat that went missing for nine years has been reunited with her elderly owners.

Cleo, a 17-year-old tabby, disappeared from the Peterborough home of Peter and Yvonne Best, 76, in 2008, leaving them heartbroken.

But last month Cleo was brought into Wood Green Animals Charity in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, as a stray, twenty two miles from her home.

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Fortunately, she was micro-chipped and the animal shelter were able to track down Mr and Mrs Best, who have welcomed the cat back into their home.

Footage demonstrating the heartwarming reunion inbetween the cat and her owners has now been exposed.

Mr Best said: ‘We thought she had been hit by a car or that a fox had got her because there was a big fox wandering the house at the time.

‘We attempted to find her. We posted letters round and we asked neighbours but we never expected to find her.

‘When we got the call we were shocked. It was a truly big surprise. They [Wood Green] described her on the phone and we knew it had to be her.

‘We were worried that we wouldn’t recognise her but we knew it was certainly Cleo instantaneously. It was magical.’

Since she went missing, Cleo had been cared for by two Good Samaritans who believed she was a stray.

The very first carer looked after her for four years, and after they died, their neighbour took in the cat.

The neighbour then determined to take her Wood Green’s animal shelter after determining she needed better care last month.

Mr Best, a former financial accountant, added: ‘We don’t have any other pets. We live on a busy road so we didn’t want to get any more animals.

‘She does fairly a lot of the things that she used to. She insists on coming up to our bed and when I go upstairs she has to come with me.

‘I don’t know if she recognises us but she is fairly content with us and it is good to have her back. It’s marvellous. I can’t believe it.’

A spokesperson for Wood Green The Animals Charity, said: ‘Some cats have large territories and will soon realise which houses they are welcomed and given food at.

‘This can encourage them away from their actual home and mistakenly thought of by caring neighbours as a stray.

‘I would very encourage anyone who has taken in a stray cat or feeding a stray cat to take it to your nearest veterinary practice to get it scanned for a microchip for free, so that it can be reunited with its owners quickly. This is why it so significant to get your cat microchipped.’

Godmanchester duo are reunited with lost cat Cleo, Daily Mail Online