‘Unrecognisable’ young cat reunited with owners after two months missing

AN “unrecognisable” young cat who had been missing for two months is back at his Swansea home thanks to the power of microchipping.

Gerald – who is less than one year old – has been reunited with owner Rachel Williams, who feared she would never see her feline companion again.

RSPCA Cymru was notified after a stray cat was found approximately two miles from his Penlan home in the Blaenymaes area of the city. It was initially feared the cat had a leg injury – but, thankfully, there were no welfare concerns.

Fortunately, the cat was microchipped – and RSPCA inspector Neill Manley was able to make the short journey across the city to take Gerald home to his owner Rachel, and her daughter Maci-Rae. They were reunited last Thursday (16 July).

The RSPCA – who support the compulsory microchipping of all owned cats – has said the “happy ending” highlights the benefits of ensuring cats are permanently identified with a chip.

RSPCA inspector Neill Manley said: “We often talk about how important identifying animals is – and Gerald’s story is a reminder as to why.

“It’s always amazing to secure a happy ending – and it was great to reunite Gerald with Rachel and Maci-Rae after two long months. It really does highlight the immense power of microchipping pets.

“But microchipping is only effective if you keep your details up to date – so it’s so important owners do that if they move house, change phone number or other such circumstances.

“Microchipping is cost-effective – and there’s loads of great schemes too, including RSPCA Cymru and Cat Protection’s joint-programme, where eligible owners can get their pet cat neutered and chipped for just a fiver.”

Gerald’s owner Rachel Williams added: “It was such a horrible couple of months. Gerald wasn’t a wanderer, and it was completely out of the blue when he disappeared. I honestly thought we would never see him again.

“Microchipping is so beneficial. We did this through a charity scheme, and it was very affordable – and means we have been reunited with Gerald.

“Gerald has grown a huge amount since he went missing. He was only eight months old when he left, and has grown fast. To be honest, he’s unrecognisable – so the microchip was so, so important in identifying him. He looked so different.

“We were so excited to get the call from Inspector Manley. Gerald has now settled right back in at home, and his story really is a reminder to all cat owners to get their pets chipped.”

RSPCA officers have remained on the frontline during the pandemic helping animals like Gerald. Should you wish to support them with this work, you can donate online.