A CAT missing for nine months and presumed dead has been reunited with his overjoyed 10-year-old owner.

“It’s a heart wrenching story with a happy ending,” said Pauline Welch, welfare officer for Cats Protection’s Woking and District branch. “It certainly brought a few tears to our eyes, that’s for sure.”

Schoolgirl Katya Harmon and Timmy the cat had been inseparable for eight years, and his disappearance had made this year even more difficult for Katya.

Her father, Perry, died of cancer during the summer and the family were so devastated that her mother, Svitlana, took extended leave from her role as a care home worker to come to terms with the loss and care for Katya.

In January, the family had moved from Chertsey to West End. Timmy was kept indoors for the first few weeks but, on only the second time of being let out in his new neighbourhood, he failed to return home.

Despite extensive searches of garages and sheds, knocking on doors and postings on social media, no sightings were reported.

Katya was inconsolable, hopes for his safe return fading as time passed. After Timmy had been missing for nine months, a dispirited Svitlana felt the time had come to accept that he had gone forever and began to throw out Timmy’s toys and bedding.

But then, just days later, Svitlana took a call from the Woking & District branch of Cats Protection telling her that Timmy had been found safe and well and would be coming home.

“We had a report from a lady who had been feeding a suspected stray cat for a couple of months,” said Pauline Welch. “I went round and scanned him for a microchip, which, thankfully, he had. I saw that it had been registered to an address in Chertsey.”

Although Svitlana hadn’t updated their address on Timmy’s microchip, her mobile number remained the same.

Pauline added: “The lady who answered was indeed missing her cat Timmy and was over the moon that he’d been found.

“Her daughter had been devastated when he went missing and had asked her mum that very morning if she’d ever see him again.”

Svitlana was amazed.  “I’d given up hope of ever receiving such a call,” she said. “Timmy was coming home. It was unbelievable. I knew that Katya would be overjoyed.”

Katya returned home from school to be reunited with Timmy, a moment captured on https://youtu.be/moZDgX-dfEc.

“We’ve had it hard this year, like so many people,” said Svitlana. “It has been hard to see any end to it. Then a miracle call brought some light back into our world.

“Timmy won’t leave Katya’s side and she is besotted with him. He came back to us two days before my birthday; that really was the best present I could have hoped for this year.”

Timmy’s story, says Cats Protection, underlines the importance of having pets microchipped, illustrated by the award-winning Aardman Studios’ three-minute animation Casper’s Magical Journey, put together for Cats Protection’s Christmas campaign and which can be viewed at www.cats.org.uk/christmas

For more information on the work of Cats Protection or to donate, visit www.cats.org.uk/woking.