An elderly cat that had been missing for over a year has been reunited with its owner.

19-year-old Tigger was recently handed into the team at Windyways Trust.

After scanning his microchip, they found that he had been missing since November 2024.

Thankfully, his details were up to date and he is now back home safe and sound, as if nothing happened.

Owners Nikki and Colin Lamprey, who live on the Wirral, said: "We will be forever grateful to Sally and the staff at Windways and would like to officially thank them for their prompt action and for looking after him until we could get there.

"We collected Tigger on Wednesday (April 15) and he recognised us straight away.

"We are now home and he is settling back into his home, it's like he has never been away, even though he has been 'walkabout" for 18 months!"

Tigger went missing while the couple were visiting Nikki's brother in Australia.

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Staying at their daughters near Stockport, Tigger managed to sneak out and remove his collar, which had a tracker tag on it.

When they returned they tried contacting the microchip company and posted on as many social media groups as they could, to no avail.

"It was like he had disappeared completely," Nikki said.

"After a few months we had totally given up hope and really thought we would never see him again."

Tigger is back at home, safe and sound (Credit: Windyways)

Then, on Monday, April 13, Nikki received an email from Windyways Trust to say that they had found Tigger.

"I couldn't believe that they had found him," Nikki added.

"My husband and myself couldn't believe it and were beyond excited to get him back home, we have missed him so much."

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Sally Wilson, who works at Windyways, explained that Tigger was brought in as a believed stray.

He had been living in a local neighbourhood for over a year, begging for food but not allowing anyone close enough to touch him.

After feeding him for many months, one resident managed to build up his trust and was able to catch him to bring him in to Windyways.

Coincidentally, she had been calling the cat Tiger.

Upon arrival, staff at Windyways scanned his chip and found that he had been reported missing 18 months ago.

For Sally, this case highlights the importance of getting your pet microchipped and keeping your details up to date.

She said: "Thanks to him having a microchip with up to date details, one very lucky boy will get to spend his 20th birthday where he belongs, wrapped in the loving care of his family.

"It's always such a relief when a cat is handed in and we find it has a microchip. It just shows how important it is to have your pets microchipped and to make sure your details are up to date.

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"On top of that, you have his age. We could tell he was an older gentleman but we were gobsmacked to learn that he is almost 20 years old!

"We are over the moon that he has been reunited with his owners!"