Another chance for Phoenix as he is reunited with owners
06 November 2015
A family cat which had disappeared for 18 months was found by its owners as they visited a Cats Protection branch in search of a new pet.
Michelle Humber and her son Ronnie, five, were visiting the Derby adoption centre in Dalbury Lees to collect their new kitten Orlando when they spotted Phoenix. In a lucky coincidence, the ten year old family cat had been handed over to Cats Protection as an assumed stray and was being looked after in the pen next door.
The ginger tom cat vanished from the family’s home in May last year, and despite their attempts to find him, he never turned up. Fearing the worst, they continued to look after their remaining moggie Ditto. It was only when Ditto died last month that they decided to visit Cats Protection in search of a new pet.
Five year old Ronnie noticed Phoenix straight away, cheering with excitement at the sight of his “best friend”. “He was purring as soon as we went over to him and it was amazing to be able to hold him” said owner Michelle.
Although Phoenix was still registered to his owners with a microchip, the family had since moved home and with the details not updated, the Derby branch were unable to get in touch.
It was a happy and somewhat lucky reunion for the family, as they plan to take Phoenix home this weekend.
"The staff were brilliant" said Michelle, "I'm not sure if they've ever seen something like this happen."