Missing cat reunited with owners THREE years later

Dill with her owners Susan and Ian Buchanan (Image: Lymm Pet Scanners)

A CAT has been reunited with her owners nearly three years after going missing.

The tabby and white cat, named Dill, disappeared from her home in York on December 28, 2023, but was recently found almost 100 miles away in Lymm after taking up residence in a stranger’s garden.

She was collected by her owners, Susan and Ian Buchanan, on Monday, September 28, exactly two years and nine months after she was first reported missing.

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Mr and Mrs Buchanan said: "It was really like a miracle when we heard Dill was with Sarah.

"After nearly three years we had tried to a accept we would never see Dill again.

"Having a local group to check her chip has been amazing.

"We will have her home again with her sister."

Dill had turned up several days earlier in the garden of Sarah Andrew, who lives near Grammar School Road in Lymm.

Al Priest, a volunteer from Lymm Pet Scanners, visited Ms Andrew’s home to check Dill for a microchip.

Missing cat Dill was found in Lymm - nearly 100 miles from her home in York (Image: Lymm Pet Scanners)

The scan revealed Dill’s identity and confirmed she had been missing for nearly three years.

Ms Andrew was present for the reunion and said both owners were emotional and still surprised that their cat had turned up alive and well, so far from home.

After being collected, Dill made the journey back to York.

Ms Andrew later received word from the Buchanans that Dill had coped well with the trip and was settling in with the help of a good meal.

For now, Dill is being kept separate from her sister Thyme to help her readjust before the two are properly reintroduced.

How Dill travelled from York to Lymm remains unknown.

Despite the distance, she appeared healthy, friendly and comfortable during her stay in Ms Andrew’s garden.

Her story serves as a reminder of the importance of microchipping pets and keeping contact details up to date.

Without her microchip, Dill could easily have been mistaken for a stray, leaving her owners without closure.

Instead, the combined efforts of a neighbour, a volunteer, and a microchip were able to solve a nearly three-year-old mystery.

After 1,005 days apart, Dill is finally back where she belongs.

Lymm Pet Scanners, the group responsible for identifying Dill, was established with funding from Lymm and District Round Table.