‘Shop cat’ found after going missing 13 years ago in Great Dunmow

A cat which regularly greeted customers at a pet shop has been found 13 years after being reported missing.

Black cat Tilly was much-loved by customers at the shop in Great Dunmow in Essex before disappearing and being reported missing by her owner in 2012.

After a friendly old stray turned up in a garden in Brentwood – about 30 miles (50km) away – she was scanned and traced back to the now-deceased shop owner.

His family was unable to take Tilly in, but Jessica Davies, who found Tilly in her garden, has now learned about the cat’s “bonkers” history and has formally adopted the 15-year-old who she said was settling in well in her new home.

“I had seen this cat near some stables for quite a while and thought it must live nearby,” said Ms Davies.

“Then one day I found it in my summer house and though it looked a bit beaten up… I still thought it must have a home.”

The family began giving the cat a little food every now and then, and called it Bobby, as they assumed it was a boy.

After a few weeks, Ms Davies contacted her friend Diane Evans, who runs an Essex-based charity, Meows Kitten & Cat Rescue, and they sent her a scanner.

The chip revealed the name of the owner but the address and phone number were no longer valid so Ms Evans put out a plea on a local Facebook page.

Dozens of people responded, recognising the previous owner’s name and recalling the cat named Tilly which used to frequent the shop.

Although they were eventually able to trace a member of the owner’s family, they could not take in the elderly cat.

Neither Ms Evans nor Ms Davies have any idea where Tilly had been since being reported missing in 2012.

“We think perhaps she got in a delivery van at the shop and ended up miles from home,” Ms Davies said.

“She really is such a sweet cat and it’s such an amazing, bonkers story.

“She’s staying with us now – I think Tilly took to us and thought ‘you’re mine, now’.”