A cat owner has been reunited with her beloved pet after he turned up at the family home after being missing for nearly three years.<\/p>\n
Little Bit, a 12-year-old tabby, went missing from his Denby Dale home just over two-and-a-half years ago and owner Steph Mellor-Smith had all but given up hope of seeing her \u201cbest friend\u201d again.<\/p>\n
However, Steph was left stunned when she opened her curtains and suddenly saw her missing moggy casually sitting on the window ledge.<\/p>\n
After coaxing him in, Little Bit \u2013 who was named after being described as a little bit of fluff \u2013 was taken to Calder Vets, which has 12 practices across Yorkshire.<\/p>\n
Calder then identified him from his microchip and treated him for ulcer-like wounds, before sending him and his overjoyed owner home again.<\/p>\n
Little Bit\u2019s disappearance is the latest chapter in a chequered history for the animal, including having a hip operation after he was kicked by someone in the street and then being \u2018cat-napped\u2019 from his previous home before being returned three months later.<\/p>\n
Steph said: \u201cHe\u2019s got an incredible history, after being kicked and injured by someone and then being taken from near our former home.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had not long moved to Denby Dale when he went missing. He had been cooped up for some time, so I can only imagine he got cabin fever and when he was allowed out, off he went.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he didn\u2019t come home I was sick with worry because we\u2019re a real double-act and he\u2019s my best friend, really. I notified all the authorities at the time and called local vets to see if he\u2019d been taken in but there was nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was around two-and-a-half years ago and then a few weeks ago I caught a glimpse of a cat in the garden. He was sat side-on but I knew straight away it was Little Bit. I really had to coax him in but he obviously knows where his bread is buttered and he\u2019s back to normal now, enjoying a better social life than me!\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephanie Woodhead, auxiliary nurse at Calder Vets in Denby Dale, helped to look after Little Bit on his return.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cSteph called us and said she thought Little Bit had come home but was slightly injured, so she brought him straight in. We scanned his microchip and it takes a couple of minutes for it to come through with an ID but when we realised it was definitely him we were all over the moon.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had eosinoplilic plaques on his upper lips and medial right hind leg, which are like ulcers, so we treated them and gave him a full check over. He is a very healthy weight so you can tell he has been getting food during his absence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have previously had a client\u2019s cat go missing for three months before he was taken to our Mirfield practice but nearly three years is by far the longest we have known one missing for.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A cat owner has been reunited with her beloved pet after he turned up at the family home after being missing for nearly three years. Little Bit, a 12-year-old tabby, went missing from his Denby Dale home just over two-and-a-half years ago and owner Steph Mellor-Smith had all but given up hope of seeing her<\/p>\n