A Cheshire couple who had “given up hope” of ever being reunited with their pet cat received a miraculous phone almost two years after she went missing.
Marbles vanished from her home in Warrington in 2021 just two weeks after moving in. After jumping over into her neighbour’s yard, she became startled by a barking dog.
This led to Marbles fleeing into the nearby woods where she completely disappeared. Owner Jade Webb and her partner spent weeks searching and posting missing posters but to no avail, reports the Liverpool Echo.
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Jade said: “After a year of searching, myself and my partner started to give up hope, thinking the worst could have happened to her. I still continued to share posts on local missing pet sites but never heard anything. We missed Marbles every day.”
But this summer, a phone call from a local vet revealed the astonishing news that Marbles had been found, taken in by a stranger who believed she was a stray. For six months, Marbles stayed with the stranger until finally being taken to the vet for a checkup.
Marbles was identified and reunited with her grateful and overjoyed owners after two long years, thanks to her microchip. The day Marbles went missing, Jade had updated her details on Petlog, the database that Marbles is microchipped with, including her new address and reported her as missing.
This crucial step meant that when Marbles was finally found, the vets were able to contact Jade and reunite her with her beloved pet.
Jade said: “When I got to the vet to collect Marbles, my emotions were very high. As the veterinary nurses brought her to me in the waiting area I burst into tears, I couldn’t believe she was actually alive and back in my arms. It was such an emotional, overwhelming reunion.”
She continued: “Marbles is absolutely loving human contact and cuddles back in her home again. My message to other pet owners is please, please, please ensure your pet is microchipped, and all of your contact details are kept up to date and correct.”
After a thorough health check at the vet, Marbles is now happily settling back into home life.
Bill Lambert, spokesperson for The Kennel Club, which manages Petlog, said: “We’re so pleased that Marbles was found safely and could be reunited with her family because of her microchip, and due to Jade’s diligence in notifying Petlog as soon as Marbles went missing to ensure the information we had was correct and up to date.
“Sadly not all pets are so lucky. Microchipping gives owners the best chance of being reunited with their pet if they go missing, but it is only effective if your contact details are up to date.
“Cat owners should also be aware that the Government have announced plans to make microchipping a legal requirement for all cats in England next year.”
In England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, it is mandatory for all dogs to have a microchip. The UK Government plans to extend this requirement to cats in England by the summer of 2024.
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