Norfolk cat reunited with owners after three-year disappearance
Microchip aids reunion between Bella and her family
A cat missing from her Norfolk home for three years has been reunited with her owners thanks to the RSPCA and the effectiveness of microchipping.
Bella, now nearly five years old, vanished from her family home in Swaffham in January 2023 after her morning routine of breakfast and an outdoor adventure.
Her owners, Danny and Karen Sutton, never lost hope, trying every means possible to locate Bella, including sharing her disappearance on social media and updating her microchip information.
Their persistence paid off when, last month, Karen received a call from the RSPCA West Norfolk saying Bella had been found.
The couple, now in Allerthorpe, East Yorkshire, made a swift journey to confirm Bella's identity and bring her home.
Karen explained, “When I first saw her, she recognised me immediately. While we don’t know exactly what happened to her during those years, Bella was discovered about 30 miles away in Dersingham. It's possible she got into a vehicle and was transported there.”
For those three years, Bella was being cared for by a resident who passed away, prompting a neighbour to contact the RSPCA West Norfolk. Upon arrival at the charity, Bella’s microchip was scanned, revealing her owners’ details.
Danny and Karen were incredibly grateful for Bella’s return, and stressed the crucial role of microchipping: "Without it, we would never have been reunited with our girl.”
Since June last year, laws mandate microchipping for cats over 20 weeks old in England. Microchips reliably identify pets, unlike collars and tags, which can be easily lost or removed. However, the RSPCA West Norfolk told us they still see far to many pets without a microchip.
Carl Saunders, General Manager of RSPCA West Norfolk, explained the significance of microchipping for pet safety.
“So microchipping on dogs has been a legal requirement for many years now and it was introduced in June last year for cats as well," Carl said.
"If you've never seen a microchip, then it's slightly bigger than a grain of rice and it gets injected just underneath the skin. It's very easy to scan with a microchip scanner, usually located behind or between the shoulder blades.”
Saunders highlighted that microchipping provides a permanent means of identification, in contrast to collars and tags that can be easily removed or lost: “Microchipping is the best way to ensure if your pet runs off or gets stolen or lost, they can be returned to you.”
Reflecting on Bella's case, Carl said, “Even when they moved some 150 miles away to East Yorkshire, they still harboured hope that maybe one day, somehow, they'd be reunited.”