Grimsby woman reunited with Fred the cat after feline friend spends 7 weeks missing

A woman from Grimsby was given a heartwarming reunion with her cat after it went missing for almost two months.

Debra Holden had recently moved into her home on Grosvenor Court in Grimsby, when her 14-year-old tabby and white cat Fred went missing in the cold, snowy weather on March 30.

It was very unlike Fred to go wandering outside, and with him spending 11 years with Debra at a different house, there were fears that he got lost while walking around in Grimsby.

Little did Debra know that a kind member of the public had been feeding Fred to make sure he was okay for two weeks, but not before contacting the RSPCA through concerns for his welfare.

Thankfully Fred is now back in the arms of his loving owner. | Photo: RSPCA

Debra was sick with worry. She said: “We put up posters on lamp posts, posted on lost and found sites and trawled the streets looking for him but there was no sign.

“I work at a vets and my daughter is a vet nurse so we were hoping he might be brought into the vets but again there was nothing.

“I was just getting to the point where I thought we wouldn’t get him back when the RSPCA officer turned up – I was so shocked!”

Hannah Williams, an animal rescue officer at the RSPCA, came to Grimsby on May 16 to help Fred, who was in a surprisingly good condition.

She scanned him for a chip and immediately saw he’d been registered as missing, so quickly popped him in the van and drove to the address on the microchip.

On the other side of the door was a delighted and very relieved Debra, who has promised to keep her furry friend close by her side from now on.

She’s even building him a catio in the garden, because he has picked up a habit of getting inside Tesco delivery vans over the years!

Debra continued: “As he’s getting older now, we think it’s best to keep him close by so we’re building him a fantastic catio so he’s a bit safer but can still potter around the garden.

“It was just too painful to lose him like that, it was such an unpleasant experience and I never want it to happen again.

“We changed the details on his microchip as soon as we moved. I know from working at a vets just how important it is, and thank god we did or I don’t think we ever would have seen him again.”