A missing kitten has been reunited with her owner, Carl Pullen, sixteen years after vanishing from his backyard.
Sunshine, a pedigree Bengal cat, disappeared in 2009 when she was about three years old. Carl believed she had been stolen, as the breed can fetch hundreds of pounds in England. Despite his extensive efforts to find her, including posting flyers and checking with local authorities, Sunshine was never found.
“I always thought she was stolen. I put up posters, appealed for information, and she was microchipped,” Carl, 51, said. “It’s lucky I never changed my phone number over the years.”
In 2010, Carl moved away from his home in Hertfordshire, still grieving the loss of his beloved pet.
Last week, Carl received an unexpected call from a veterinary surgeon. The vet informed him that a cat had been brought in as a stray and asked if he was the owner of a cat named Sunshine.
Now 19 years old, Sunshine has been reunited with Carl for the final years of her life.
“I don’t think she’s been a stray for all these years, maybe just in the last few months,” Carl said. “When I picked her up from the vet, she was underweight, her claws hadn’t been clipped, and she had kidney problems.”
Since returning home, Sunshine has received medication and is slowly recovering.
“I was so surprised,” Carl shared with the BBC. “I was overwhelmed and didn’t expect to see her again after all these years.”
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