Cat lost in 2020 found asleep on bird table near Beccles

A cat missing for two-and-a-half years has been found a mile away from home, asleep on a bird table.

Eric Wareham, who lives near Beccles, Suffolk, said Barbara was last seen in August 2020.

The family had put posters up and made social media appeals but Mr Wareham said there was "no sign of her at all".

She had left a "hole" in the family until she was found in a garden about a mile away, "sleeping on a bird table", Mr Wareham said.

"We're in shock still, we can't believe it," he added.

He said Barbara had "form for disappearing" and had left the family home for six months previously, only to return pregnant with kittens.

Since then, he said they had put a proper collar on the "very friendly and attractive cat".

However, when they lost her this time around, they thought "we'd never see her again".

Mr Wareham said he was in "disbelief" when the vets called to say they had found her.

He said the people who had found Barbara on their bird table had taken her in but thought they better get her checked out at the local vets, which is when it was discovered she was Mr Wareham's pet.

"When I went to pick her up, there were just very big smiles on the faces of the staff there.

"They were all talking about it because it had been so long that she'd gone missing," he said.

Mr Wareham added: "Babs is home and we're very, very happy."

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]