Missing cat found 250 miles from home

Sam Spragg said she thought Marshall had been run over

A cat missing from its Lancashire home for 11 weeks turned up 250 miles away in Kent - earning it the nickname The Bolton Wanderer.

Marshall's owners cannot be sure how their pet travelled so far but say he has been known to jump into vans in the past.

The six year old, who vanished on 1 February, is now back home in Darwen.

Owner Sam Spragg said: "He's very tired, but he's still the same cheeky chappy."

She said she was "gobsmacked" when she heard where he had been found in Rochester.

Lynne Ashman, who found him, posted on Facebook that he had followed her and used the cat flap to let himself in and out of her home.

He was "the absolute perfect houseguest", she said.

Marshall's owner was traced when he was taken to a vet to have his microchip scanned.

Ms Ashman's family came up with the football-inspired nickname, Ms Spragg said.

Asked whether he will be allowed outside again, his owner said: "He's too adventurous to stay inside."

Marshall has been sleeping a lot since he got home, his owner says

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