The only way is Essex for Poppy the lost cat

When a Harrogate vet scanned Poppy the cat’s microchip she was shocked to discover the pet was 200 miles from home.
Poppy the cat from EssexPoppy the cat from Essex
Poppy the cat from Essex

The cat’s microchip had been mis-read by a vet near her home, and Poppy was half way through a gruelling 400-mile journey to Glasgow when she was brought to Vets4Pets in Harrogate.

Vet Leigh-Anne Brown said: “There was some confusion and the cat ended up with us. We realised it had been brought to Harrogate from Essex unnecessarily and she was now 200 miles from her owner.”

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Eager to help Poppy find her way home to Essex and her elderly owner who was missing her, veterinary receptionist Louise Reeve appealed on Facebook to find someone to take her home.

Vicki ready to take Poppy to meet her owner in LondonVicki ready to take Poppy to meet her owner in London
Vicki ready to take Poppy to meet her owner in London

Within hours the post had been viewed 7,000 times with dozens of animal-lovers offering to help take Poppy back to Essex.

“The response was amazing,” said Leigh-Anne. “It shows the power of social media, and the power of the Harrogate community; everyone just wanted to help get her home. She has been on a bit of an adventure.”

Pet-lover Victoria Mawson was heading to London last week to visit her boyfriend and kindly offered to take Poppy with her on the train to meet the cat’s owner at King’s Cross.

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Louise said: “We were grateful Victoria stepped in to help reunite the pair. It really seems to touch people’s hearts when a pet goes missing.”

Victoria said: “She wasn’t the best traveller at first, she was very vocal and kept meowing and stiking her claws out, but she soon settled and had a sleep.”

The recent graduate said carrying Poppy the cat made her journey eventful: “Everyone wanted to be my friend, people were asking about the cat and it is quite an unusual story to tell.”

The animal-lover has two cats of her own, as well as a horse, rabbit and a guinea pig.

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She added: “I was just happy to see her reunited with her owner. He was very grateful to get her back, though he said she runs away a lot!”

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