When Tallulah the tabby vanished six years ago, Lisa Gregory, her husband James and their three kids Mia, Jed and Ostyn were crushed.
The moggy was just 18 months old when she went out and didn’t return home one day.
A year later, the family moved to Australia, never expecting to see Tallulah again.
But to their shock, Lisa, 45, got an email from the RSPCA saying the cat had been found all these years later.
Poor Tallulah was found straying near their old family home in Kentish Town, north London – 10,500 miles away from where they’re living now.
‘I couldn’t believe it,’ Lisa said.
‘Lo and behold I woke up to an email from the RSPCA saying they had our cat.
‘Tallulah is microchipped, and they tried to contact me on the phone number registered.
‘But I have a different number now
‘They have even put notes through the door, but we obviously don’t live there any more.
‘I was still in disbelief and asked them to send a picture and of course, it’s Tallulah.’
Lisa and James, 57, first got Tallulah from James’ sister Diana.
Lisa said: ‘She lived with us for 18 months.
‘We had three young children, and she was really loved by everyone.
‘She was a delightful kitten, the kids could pick her up
‘But she was very food motivated, and she just didn’t come home one day
‘I think she had been fed by someone else. I believe they just kept her and didn’t let her out.
‘We did everything you can do – posted flyers, knocked on neighbours’ doors, checked with the vet.
‘During that time we were planning to go to Australia and take her with us.
‘We grieved our loss and just presumed she got lost or died, we just did not know.
‘It was sad for the kids, she was a beautiful family pet.
‘The last time we saw her was 2017. We moved to Australia in 2018, settled in Sydney and got a dog.’
Lisa and James are now staring down the barrel of a £2,000 bill and a year-long wait if they were to have her join the family in Oz.
‘We are still undecided,’ she said.
‘She is now seven-and-half and the whole process of taking a cat to Australia can take up to 12 months.’
The process would involve Tallulah having blood tests, waiting a long time for results and then being quarantined.
That means the cat would be eight-and-a-half years old by the time they got her back.
The other option is for Diana, who bred the cat in the first place, to take her back permanently. For the moment, that’s who Tallulah will be staying with.
‘We plan to FaceTime and reconnect that way and decide what is best for her,’ Lisa said.
‘The RSPCA has been very helpful. She is a beautiful cat and has warmed the hearts of the staff there.’
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