A missing Wilmslow cat has been reunited with her owner after 19 months, all thanks to a microchip.

The female feline, named Kevin through owner Susan Barnes' daughter's love of Home Alone, disappeared in spring 2023.

Susan and the family put up missing posters to help find Kevin to no avail, but she eventually turned up when she was spotted near a hairdressers and some shops.

One hairdressing client, who ran a cat rescue, brought a microchip scanner and discovered Kevin had been reported missing through microchip database, Petlog.

Susan said: "We were absolutely devastated when Kevin went missing. We thought we’d never see her again." Susan recalled. 

“We put missing posters up. After she’d been missing for such a long time, we had given up hope.

"Luckily Kevin was spotted hanging around some shops and a gentleman that lived above the shops looked out for her and fed her.

"One of the shops was a hairdressers, and amazingly one of their clients runs a cat rescue centre. She brought a microchip scanner and found Kevin’s microchip and that she had been reported missing. We were reunited the same day.” 

Kevin was in good health and has now had a full vet check-up. 

Susan has now offered advice to her fellow pet owners, saying: “Make sure your pet is microchipped, if it hadn’t been for that and the kind people who looked out for her, we may have never seen Kevin again.” 

Bill Lambert, spokesperson for Petlog, added: "We’re delighted Kevin and her family have finally been reunited."

"We urge owners to ensure that their pets are microchipped and their contact details are up to date on a microchip database, like Petlog. Microchips are small but effective, and are the best way to identify a lost or stolen pet."

A microchip is the size of a grain of rice which is inserted under the skin at the back of an animal’s neck.

It permanently identifies pets and connects them with an owner’s contact details, which are held on a database like Petlog, enabling vets, local authorities and animal charities to scan the chip, match it to the owner’s details and reunite lost and found pets. 

In June 2024, it became a legal requirement for pet cats in England to be microchipped before they reach the age of 20 weeks, with their owner’s contact details stored and kept up to date with a pet microchipping database. 

Further advice about pet safety, microchipping and how to register with Petlog, can be found at petlog.org.uk.