IT seemed there was nothing out of the ordinary when a stray cat found plodding the streets of Ipswich was handed in to vets - until staff discovered he came from Thurrock in Essex, 75 miles away.

IT seemed there was nothing out of the ordinary when a stray cat found plodding the streets of Ipswich was picked up by a concerned resident and handed in to vets.

But when staff from Orwell Veterinary Surgery, based in Kesgrave, checked the meandering moggy's microchip, they were shocked to find that the cat - Max - had hot-footed it from fur, fur away.

In fact, he had travelled all the way from Thurrock in Essex, some 75 miles away - a journey which would take a motorist around an hour-and-a-half.

Max's incredible tale started way back on October 12, when the two-year-old left his cosy surroundings and ventured out to chase mice.

However, it seems his paw sense of direction let him down and when he failed to reappear in the following days and weeks, owner Trudy Williams had all but given up hope of seeing her beloved feline again.

She knocked on neighbours' doors, put up posters and was even preparing to put an advert in her local paper.

But just as she was a whisker away from admitting defeat, Mrs Williams received a call to inform her that her cat had been found safe and well in Ipswich.

The shocked owner said: “At first I was hysterical when he went missing, but I had just started to accept that I wasn't going to see him again.

“I had given up on finding him and I even threw his bed away because I thought I needed to start moving on.

“When I got the call from the vets I thought 'this better not be a joke', but the woman I spoke to said she was being serious and I started shaking.”

Vet Charles Bagnall admitted he was dumbfounded when he scanned the cat and the address in Thurrock flashed up.

He continued: “At first we thought someone must have moved and not updated the address, but we then established the address was correct.

“He must have got into a car or lorry. You do hear stories like this with cats ending up miles away from home, but it's uncommon.”

Despite his 75-mile trip and the month alone, Max was discovered in a very healthy condition and Mr Bagnall put it down to the recent mild weather and Max's ability to find food.

Max had previously been uninterested in going out much after he was hit by a car a year ago and Mrs Williams is determined to wrap him up in cotton wool to ensure he does not use any more of his nine lives in the near future.

She said: “I want to make sure he's indoors until he gets his bearings back so he won't be going anywhere until at least after Christmas.”