Cat Reunited with Owner After Two-Year Disappearance

A cat that had been missing for two years has been reunited with his owner. Babes, the feline, vanished after slipping from his harness during a vacation in the Lake District. His owner, Gael, who resides in Wigan, Greater Manchester, expressed that she had nearly “lost hope” of finding him. However, she received a late-night text message displaying the cat in an allotment, prompting her to immediately travel to Kendal, Cumbria, equipped with a tin of sardines. Gael remarked, “Now he’s jumping up on the couch, he’s purring, he’s showing his little brother, Precious, who’s boss.” Before his disappearance, Babes was a stray that Gael had provided food for over two years. He subsequently lived with her for an additional 18 months. Gael informed Nishma Hindocha of BBC Radio Cumbria that Babes “was a proper feral cat when he came,” but later “was like a little baby, he loved his snuggles.” Gael was staying in Windermere when Babes initially escaped. She recounted, “I couldn’t even sleep, it was just the worst time.” During her search efforts, a stranger even offered her a van to sleep in, eliminating the need for her to commute between her home and the Lakes. She explained her diminishing optimism: “When the 12-month mark passed, and not a single sighting, I just didn’t think it was possible that he’d now gone through two winters with that many people looking for him.” Babes was discovered residing in an allotment approximately six miles (9.6km) from the location of his original disappearance. A local resident posted a photograph on social media, which eventually reached Gael. “I’d just got into bed, turned my light off and I got a text message,” she stated. Despite having received “so many pictures” over the two years, she affirmed, “I knew that was him straight away.” She then promptly entered her car to retrieve him. Describing their reunion, Gael said, “I was on the floor, I was throwing sardines towards him,” adding, “I believe he recognised me, my voice.” Babes has now been back home for about a week, and Gael reported that he is “doing fantastic.” She concluded, “It feels like he’s never been away.”