BUTLEY: Christmas has come early for one cat owner, whose beloved pet is back home an incredible five months after going missing.

Bernie Ingram thought she would never see her six-year-old Burmese, Gobi, again.

The curious cat disappeared five months ago from his owner’s home in Butley, near Woodbridge.

Despite an extensive search the 53-year-old and her husband Peter could find no trace of Gobi and the couple feared the worst. But just when they had given up all hope they received an unexpected phone call.

He was found in nearby Hollesley and taken to a vets, where they were able to trace his concerned owners through his microchip.

Mrs Ingram, a receptionist at the doctors’ surgery in Orford, said: “We have had him since he was a kitten, so he is a big part of the family. We really feared the worst. I had sightings of him but we never found him. It was very upsetting.

“We’re not really sure how he went missing. The day he disappeared we had a vacuum cleaner delivered and we think he might have stowed away in the van but we don’t know.

“We couldn’t believe it when we got the phone call. It was better than winning the lottery. He managed to get into somebody’s outhouse in Hollesley.

“Fortunately they found him and took him to the vets, where they checked his microchip and got in touch. We can’t thank them enough. It means so much to have him back.

“He did well to survive that long. We have now had him back two weeks and he is doing very well. He’s just as friendly and as loving as he was when he left.”

Mrs Ingram also urged any pet owners to get their animals microchipped.

“I would encourage everyone to get it done,” she said. “It has been absolutely vital. It just goes to show that people shouldn’t give up hope.”

n Have you been reunited with a long lost pet? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstar letters@eveningstar.co.uk.