Missing cat found after twelve years to owner's amazement: "It didn't feel real"

Flintshire, UK - Theo-Will McKenna (29) from Wales had given up hope of ever seeing his cat again after the pet disappeared from his home over a decade ago.

Artie the cat made a miraculous return after going missing 12 years earlier (stock image).
Artie the cat made a miraculous return after going missing 12 years earlier (stock image).  © 123RF/stzu

McKenna's cat, Artie, unexpectedly disappeared from the home he shared with his mother after the family moved from Blacon in Chester to Connah's Quay in 2012.

According to Fox News, while Artie would spend some time outside, he would never vanish for multiple days.

"He hadn't come back in a couple of days – and he'd never done that before. He used to come back every night," said McKenna.

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When Artie didn't return, McKenna, who was 17 at the time, immediately jumped into action.

"I went out to look for him. I walked around the entire area with a bag full of treats, and I found nothing," he recalled.

After six months of looking high and low, the family was discouraged.

"I'd lost hope. I’d kept an eye out for him every time I was in the area, and there had been no sign of him," McKenna said.

Missing cat reappears after more than a decade

This missing cat reappeared after a decade!
This missing cat reappeared after a decade!  © Collage: Screenshot/X/@notanothertip

Three weeks ago, Artie reappeared after more than a decade. The cat was found in a garden near the family's old home, per The Daily Gazette.

The cat's microchip had an old contact number for McKenna's mother and North Clwyd Animal Rescue, so the rescue organization used Facebook to find the cat's owners.

McKenna couldn't believe his luck:

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"My friend saw it and sent me the post – it took me a second to recognize him because he looked so bedraggled and skinny," he said.

"It didn't feel real. I thought there was no way it could be him. It had been 12 years — he went missing when I was 17. I thought no cat could survive 12 years on the street," McKenna added.

Artie is now getting used to life with his human again and the owner's other cat.

Cover photo: 123RF/stzu

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