Charlotte was reunited with her owner when the RSPCA traced her microchip details

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A DYING cat was reunited with her original owner after 14 years apart – proving meowracles can happen.

Charlotte was returned to Vivien Tarlton in Shirland Road, Maida Vale, after being discovered sitting on a driveway six miles south of the Thames in Lambeth.

The RSPCA checked her on the microchip database and got in touch with her owner who had launched a desperate appeal for help finding her back in 2010.

They got to spend a final fortnight together, before she had to be put to sleep.

“I’ve gone from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, but the 16 days Charlotte was with me was lovely,” said Ms Tarlton. “She was home and safe, although I suspected her time with me might be short.

“When she lived with me she was quite feral, but it is still amazing that she managed to get to the other side of London and had someone feeding her there. She must have jumped on a bus as it is quite a distance.

“I never gave up hope of seeing her again as she was an amazing little cat. She’d come into the house and always wanted be near to me, although she didn’t really like being touched.

“I kept looking when she went missing. I had posters printed and placed them on doors and trees all around west London, but she was never seen. I even asked a psychic for help locating her.

“I was thinking recently that she’d be 20 or 21 now and wondered what had happened to her. She was so wary of people that it was a shock that she went out of my back garden. I kept two of her kittens; Holly died in 2019, but Harley is still with me.

“I’m devastated as Charlotte was on this planet for 20 years, yet she was with me only for five years.”

Charlotte was rescued by RSPCA inspector Jade Guthrie who collected the cat earlier this month and was able to track down her original owner due to her microchip.

Charlotte as a kitten

But her health had deteriorated and the happy reunion was fleeting. Charlotte was barely able to walk and had a large clump of matted fur on her back.

Ms Tarlton was advised by her regular vet that the prognosis for Charlotte was poor and that the kindest course of action was to put her to sleep.

Ms Guthrie said that when Charlotte was rescued she was in poor health.

“It looks like the cat was living feral for a long time and was ‘looked after’ for many years by our caller who thought she was a stray”, Ms Guthrie said. “It was only recently that her health took a dip and when we got the call it was a surprise to find that she was microchipped.”

From June this year it became a legal requirement for owners to microchip their cats from 20 weeks old.

Owners also need to keep their contact details updated on a microchipping database and those found not to have microchipped their cat have 21 days to get one implanted or face fines up to £500.