The last of five cats which mysteriously went missing from part of a Helensburgh street has been found.
Twelve weeks after he disappeared, there was a possible sighting of four-year-old silver tabby Nevis on Saturday at Ardgartan near Arrochar and his worried owners Fiona and Joe Palmer made a hasty 20-mile journey to see if it was him.
The managers of Forest Holidays’ lodges at Ardgartan, Peter Noble and Donna Kelly, thought they had seen Nevis in their garden, but despite Fiona and others calling and waiting for three hours, there was no sign, so they left some cat food out and vowed to return on Sunday.
And when Fiona got there, Donna said ‘shhhh’ and beckoned her to approach quietly.
Equipped with traps lent to them by the Scottish SPCA, they were ready to capture a frightened animal who had endured a three-month ordeal.
“He was right under a tree, all I could see was his ears,” said Fiona. “I just crouched down and called his name and he just came straight to me.
“I managed to gather him up and put him in his cat box. We were all crying – we’re just stunned and feel very lucky to have him back.
“All the staff at the park came out and they were cheering.
“He’s in pretty good shape – no ticks or fleas, though he’s definitely lost a bit of weight and he’s off to the vet for a check up. He’s very clingy and enjoys his cuddles.
“Marley our dog is following him everywhere and he’s taken over his bed. We are so thankful that people kept on looking out for him. The underlying worry really is what happened to them all.”
Nevis was found just half a kilometre from where his Dennistoun Crescent neighbours Patch and Jax, who also disappeared suddenly, were found – one of the other ‘Dennistoun 5’ cats Nero was found 20 miles away at Balmaha, while Flash was recovered near Glen Fruin by Loch Lomond.
And the question of who did this to these five family pets remains.
Scottish SPCA chief inspector Laura McIntyre said: “We responded to a call in Ardgartan to assist with a missing cat that was originally from Helensburgh.
“We provided a humane cat trap but thankfully the device was not needed as the cat was found.
“We have reason to believe that someone deliberately transported these cats for malicious reasons and would ask those in Helensburgh and the surrounding areas to be vigilant. This would be classed as theft and is enforceable by Police Scotland.
“Please make sure that your cats are microchipped so they can be identified and returned home if they go missing.
“If anyone has any information about these incidents, please contact our confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”
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