Jilly Fretwell got a surprise phone call from the vet just in time for Christmas
A family whose cat returned home after going missing five years ago have said it was a ‘real Christmas miracle’.
Black cat Bindi disappeared from her home in Haddenham in Cambridgeshire back in August 2020 leaving her family devastated. But five years later they got a call from the vets informing them that she had finally been found – just in time for Christmas.
Owner Jilly Fretwell has no idea where Bindi has been for the last few years but thinks she may have been taken in by another family. The 29-year-old said: “She used to go out for a couple of hours and then come straight back, so it was really odd for her to be missing for more than a day. We really were left in the dark.”
Jilly posted appeals on social media and searched local walking routes for several months after her beloved pet disappeared, before coming to terms with the idea of Bindi being gone for good. That was until she got a surprise phone call from the vet on December 18 saying Bindi had been found.
Software project manager Jilly, who had moved house since her cat disappeared, said she was “in complete disbelief” at her return. “It wasn’t really until we saw her that we believed it was her,” she said.
Jilly added: “We’re just so glad we had her microchipped and that she was alive and well. I’ve never heard of anyone’s cat going missing for so long and turning up absolutely fine.
“It did feel like a real Christmas miracle.”
She described Bindi as “the most cuddly, affectionate cat I’ve ever met”. Jilly said: “She puts her paws on either of your shoulders to give you a real cuddle. She’s very calm and cuddly really.
“I think she’s been looked after by someone, she looks in great shape. She’s potentially been inside, but I have no idea.”
