Norfolk cat missing for five years reunited with owner

Kimberley Cartledge has been reunited with Fudge five years after she went missing

A cat with a distinctive moustache marking has been reunited with her owner five years after going missing.

Fudge was picked up by Feline Care Cat Rescue at Snetterton services on the A11, Norfolk on Sunday.

Her owner, Kimberley Cartledge, from Costessey, came forward after seeing a Facebook post of her pet.

Ms Cartledge, who had rehomed Fudge after she failed to settle when they moved home, said: "I've felt guilty for so long. I'm still in shock."

Fudge disappeared a few days after she was given to a friend in Wymondham.

Ms Cartledge, 33, said she thought she would never see Fudge again. She had trouble sleeping because she was so worried about her.

"I put her on the lost and found cats on Facebook, and didn't hear anything for five years," she said.

"And on Sunday morning I woke up with the screen shots from the Feline Care Cat Rescue service and I instantly knew it was her, with those markings, it was quite surreal.

"She's really happy and she's really settled in with us. It's as if she's never been away. Miracles do happen."

Fudge has a distinctive moustache marking which helped identify her

Molly Farrar runs the cat rescue based near East Harling. She had been called out to the services to rescue a kitten seen on the premises, catching Fudge in the process too.

Fudge was not microchipped, she said, but was identified by photos which Ms Cartledge sent them showing the distinctive facial markings.

"She was very friendly, so we knew that someone must have been missing her," she said.

"Obviously it's not a residential area and there aren't very many houses and it's not a safe place for the cat to be either, right next to the A11."

Ms Farrar said they had seen the original social media post from Ms Cartledge dating back to 2017.

After establishing she was the cat's owner, they reunited them.

"So we had that lovely moment where you see Fudge realise she was home and she knew the person who was stroking her. It was very, very sweet."

Ms Farrar said it was important for people to microchip their cats to avoid this kind of heartache.