A pet owner has been left utterly delighted after a surprise reunion with her beloved cat, who had vanished 11 years ago.
72-year-old Eve McDonnell, 72, from Birmingham, was left deeply upset after Missy escaped from her car as she stopped off for milk on April 23, 2009.
Eve hadn’t realised Missy had been asleep on the back seat after sneaking through the sunroof to hitch a ride. When Eve stopped the car to head to the shops, Missy leapt out of the vehicle and ran across a busy roundabout; vanishing for what Eve long assumed was forever.
SWNSDespite searching high and low for her beloved moggy, Missy was nowhere to be found and Eve had given up every whisker of hope of ever seeing her fluffy little face again.
So when a cat rescue centre contacted her to say Missy had been found living on the streets a mere eight miles from her home, the grandmother-of-five couldn’t believe her ears.
Hall Green residents had clocked the black and white feline living amongst rubbish and sleeping on top of a bin. She had earned the local nickname of ‘the driveway cat’, with residents having no clue about her worried human mama who missed her dearly.
After spotting Missy living outdoors, kind-hearted Ali Shah and his mum Salma took her in; feeding and sheltering her for several days. They then took her to the Little Haven Rescue centre in Sutton Coldfield on February 22, where she was found to be emaciated.
SWNSOwner of the rescue centre owner, 46-year-old Clare Davis, proceeded to take Missy to an emergency vet for treatment, and it was here where a microchip was noted and traced straight back to Eve.
Clare said:
I’ve never had a rescue that has been missing for so long. I’ve returned cats that have been missing for two or three years but ten years is pretty unbelievable.
I’m delighted to have reunited Missy with her owner. Missy had had a terrible time living rough for all those years. When she escaped, it was a complete accident, she didn’t mean to take her for a ride.
She climbed in through the sunroof, which Eve managed to close while driving along. When Eve rushed out to buy milk Missy ran out onto the island. She didn’t think she would live through all the busy traffic, but Missy did and must’ve walked the wrong way home.
When she came into the centre she had to go on recovery fluids because she was so weak after going without food for three days. At her age it had an enormous effect on her and she was so weak there was no way she could go straight back to her owner in that state.
She was on a knife edge and it took a week to get her back into good condition.
SWNSShe continued:
When I called Eve she said to me: ‘My mind has been in a whirlwind.’ She didn’t know whether she could cope with taking her back. She had given up hope of finding her and had grieved her, thinking she had died.
She was absolutely delighted to get Missy back. She had never replaced her and didn’t realise how much she was missing having a companion as she lives alone. But she could never bring herself to replace her.
How Missy survived all those years is by being a typical Missy. She was able to fend for herself and source food. She’s a very intelligent cat and it’s a miracle she survived. She’d cry for food outside someone’s house and would find it naturally.
SWNSIn a further incredible twist in this tale, Clare actually ended up guessing Missy’s name as it appeared to fit so perfectly with her temperament:
When she came into the centre I started calling her Missy because she was a right little missy cat. And amazingly it turned out that was her real name.
I told Eve and she said: ‘It was because of her personality and temperament I first named her Missy’. We are glad she is finally back home where she belongs after all these years.
Beautiful footage of Eve and Missy has since gone viral, and will melt the hearts of cat-people and dog-people alike. All the very best of luck to this reconnected pair.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.