Cat Missing for 13 Years Found and Returned Home to Spend ‘Final Days’ With Family

In 2012, Jade Yhnell’s cat, Minx — who she had hand-reared since birth — went missing from her family’s home in Bristol, England. After over a decade with no sign of Minx and a move to a new city, Yhnell had lost hope. But this July, over a decade later, Minx was found — and she was able to spend her final days back at home, surrounded by her family.

Minx was brought into Fishguard Veterinary Services by a stranger after she was found emaciated and covered in fleas, reported Western Telegraph. For still unknown reasons, she was 140 miles away from her original home. Veterinarians ran the cat’s microchip, and it revealed Yhnell’s contact information. They called her immediately.

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At first, Yhnell thought the call might be a telemarketer — but when she picked up, she could barely believe what she heard. “I was overwhelmed. I was speechless,” Yhnell told Western Telegraph. “I couldn’t stop shaking. I said to my husband ‘they’ve found Minx.’ He was quite shocked.”

Yhnell travelled nearly three hours for a tear-filled reunion with Minx. “She was in a really bad way but she recognized me immediately,” Yhnell told Western Telegraph. “She was headbutting me and purring. I was a mess as you can imagine.”

Minx returned home and began to improve from her condition, thanks to plenty of nurturing from Yhnell, her family, and her colleagues at Vets Now, where Yhnell works as a veterinary nurse. But tragically, there were more struggles to come: Shortly after her arrival, Minx was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer.

The cat passed away weeks after her return. Though Yhnell had her heart broken all over again, she wouldn’t change a thing. “I have nothing but gratitude that we had her back,” Jade told Western Telegraph.

She added that Minx was “purring right to the last breath,” and she is comforted by the knowledge that the cat’s last weeks were full of joy. “I feel she came back to us for a reason, so that we could look after her in her final days. She knew how loved she was.”

Vets Now shared Minx and Yhnell’s story on Facebook, adding a plea to pet parents to be sure their pet is microchipped. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, microchipped pets are twice as likely to make their way home. “If this isn’t a reminder to microchip your pets (and keep your details up to date),” Vets Now wrote, “we don’t know what is!”