Lilly’s owner feared she had died, but had no idea she was living as a house cat a few streets away.
A cat which went missing for a decade – leaving her owners fearing the worst – was adopted by a neighbour.
Lilly, now aged 15, disappeared from her home in Hutton Cranswick, East Yorkshire, in 2009.
Owner Alex Elliott – who assumed her beloved pet was dead – had no idea the missing moggy had been taken in as a house cat just a few streets away.
She said it was a “massive shock” when a vet called out of the blue to tell her Lilly was alive.
“I didn’t believe it till I saw her,” Ms Elliott said.
‘We’ve got your cat’
A&E nurse Ms Elliott said she checked her phone after a rest break at Hull Royal Infirmary to see the vets had left a message.
“We’ve got your cat, Lilly” she was told, reported the Yorkshire Post.