Mo-mentous microchip! Swansea cat returned home after eight years missing

A cat has been reunited with his family after eight years - all thanks to a Mo-mentous microchip!

Black cat Mo is back with the Harris family in the Birchgrove area of Swansea, after we rescued him in the Llansamlet area of the city.

Cat Mo had ended up living at another house

Mo had been well looked after, but sadly his most recent owner had passed away - and the cats were temporarily being fed by a kind-hearted neighbour before we were contacted to help.

Our animal rescue officer, Paula Milton, arrived to collect the cats - and was later stunned to discover that one was microchipped to a different property; from where he had gone missing way back in 2012.

Paul said:

"It's fantastic to have reunited Mo with his family some eight years on. We all need some good news at the moment - and this incredible story is a reminder about the amazing power of microchipping.

"A tiny microchip can make a huge difference. Mo is a great example of how pets can be returned home years and years later - all thanks to identifying an animal in this way.

"We're absolutely thrilled to see Mo settling back into his new home - and he has already taken Izzy's social media by storm! This was one of my best ever jobs as an animal rescuer."

We had rehomed Mo over 10 years ago

Mo was adopted by the Harris family from our Llys Nini Animal Centre more than a decade ago - and Izzy Harris used to volunteer at the branch centre.

She said:

"Honestly, we were so shocked. You hear these stories about pets being reunited years later - but you just don't expect it to happen. Our best case scenario was someone nice was now looking after him, but sadly we had always assumed the worst had happened.

"It's so amazing to have him back - and really nice to know that there are so many nice people out there ready to help animals, and to hear that Mo had been safe all these years.

"He has settled back in brilliantly. He's really friendly - and we're slowly introducing him to the other cats in our household; including another RSPCA rescue cat we adopted at the same time as Mo!

"Mo's old companion seemed a bit nonplussed about his return, but we're sure she'll get used to the idea - and they'll all get used to each other as we're slowly introducing them.

"This all just reminds us how microchipping is so worth doing. Even if you think there's no hope left - there's always hope with a microchip. Miracles do happen, and there's a lot of really nice people out there who keep an eye out for cats. We're going to be the biggest advocates of microchipping ever!"

Our centre loved seeing Mo again

Mo's microchip was checked at the Llys Nini Animal Centre - where Mo was first rehomed to Izzy and her family. The centre finds new homes for hundreds of rescue animals every year - and was delighted to be able to help a former client once again.

Gary Weeks, our manager at the centre, added:

"It was amazing to see Mo at our centre again - and for Paula to find a match on the microchip is just an unbelievable story.

"We were delighted to be able to help this cat again - and we're sure he'll be so happy back with our former volunteer Izzy and her family.

"This is a great reminder about how important permanent identification is for pets - and we'd urge cat owners in Swansea and all across Wales to get a microchip for their animal."

More information on microchipping your pet. Should you wish to support our work, you can donate online.