Cat returns home to Abercarn after being missing for 10 years

A 13-year-old tabby cat that went missing 10 years ago has found her way back home.

Her owners Lucy and Hannah Robertson were “heartbroken” in 2016 when Charlie, then three years old, went missing.

As an outdoor cat, Charlie would spend her days roaming the streets but one day in April – after recently moving to a new area – she never returned home.

The family spent months looking, never finding any leads.

But last month, the “impossible” happened on Lucy’s 30th birthday – they received a call from the vet saying Charlie had been found.

Hannah, 37, said she moved from Newbridge to Abercarn, in Caerphilly county, a few miles away, 10 years ago.

Within three days, Charlie, who she described as a “bit fiery”, went missing.

“We did have one or two tip-offs… we tried to find her, but we kept missing her,” Hannah said.

“We never lost hope. But sadly, we just couldn’t find her,” she told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

Lucy said that, despite asking around, as well as posting on Facebook, there was no sign of Charlie.

“It was heartbreaking. We were scared that she had been knocked over or that she wasn’t around anymore,” she said.

But on 29 July, Hannah was left “gobsmacked” after receiving a call from a veterinary practice in Abercarn saying Charlie had been found.