Gloucester Services cat reunited with owners after seven months

A cat that vanished from a motorway service station has been reunited with her owners after seven months.

Millie leapt free from her cat basket while her owners, Shaun Ore and Pauline Dearing, stopped at Gloucester Services last June.

The couple spent nine hours searching for their beloved pet, before being forced to continue their journey.

This week they were contacted by an animal group to say the cat had been found by service station staff.

"I gave her a big cuddle and she went belly up in my arms," said Ms Dearing.

"To survive on the M5 is just amazing."

Mr Ore and Ms Dearing, from St Ives, were making the journey from West Bromwich back to Cornwall when they made a pit stop on the M5.

But when they got Millie out of her crate to stretch her legs, she managed to wiggle free of her harness and dashed away.

The distraught couple got permission to search the premises, including the roof, but eventually were forced to give up.

"It was devastating to be honest, I didn't want to leave," explained Mr Ore.

The couple returned to the services a number of times, putting up posters and speaking to people in nearby villages, but Millie was not found.

Then, five weeks ago, staff at the service station reported they had spotted a cat that matched Millie's description.

Unfortunately, the feline had become used to nomad life and would not let anyone get close.

Eventually, the service station manager was able to lure her with some food and a volunteer from the Facebook group, Animals Lost and Found, Gloucestershire, was able to catch Millie, who was identified after scanning her microchip.

Millie was adopted as a feral kitten from a rescue centre and Mr Ore and Ms Dearing believe her experiences early on in life meant she was able to survive on her own for so long.

For now, they say, they are just glad to have Millie home.

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