Manchester missing cat reunited with family after six years

A missing cat has been reunited with its owner six years later - after being found living stray just five miles away.

Black and white Raffael, known as Raffi, disappeared from Mustafa Javed's home in Old Trafford just before Christmas 2016.

Mr Javed said the family searched for months but eventually gave up hope.

But out of the blue they received a call from the RSPCA to say the chipped pet had been found.

"We couldn't believe it, the children were so excited, it's all they could talk about," Mr Javed said.

Mr Javed said: "I think the whole family was stunned and shocked.

"We'd been through the grieving process and had even had a burial for him to try and bring about some sort of closure.

"So to hear that he'd been found alive after all this time, it really was a lot to take in."

Raffi was found by RSPCA inspector Rachel Henderson who was called to an injured cat found in a garden of a property in the separate Manchester suburb of Longsight.

When the officer scanned him she discovered he was registered to the Javed family.

Raffi was treated at the RSPCA's Greater Manchester Animal Hospital for an abscess on his back and is now settling in back home.

Mr Javed continued: "My children Maryam, Ibraheem and Khadeeja were only seven, six and three at the time and they were devastated."

He said he now hopes his story can inspire other people to get their pets microchipped.

Ms Henderson said she was "shocked" how long Raffi had been missing but was "delighted to be able to let Mustafa and the rest of his family know the good news".

"It's obviously been an emotional time for them," she said.

"They'd grieved and understandably moved on in the years since.

"But seeing the joy on their faces now their much-loved pet is back is something I will remember for a long time."

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