Scottish Cat Discovered 300 Miles Away in Coventry

A feline that vanished from its residence in Scotland has been located over 300 miles distant in Coventry. Cara and Colin McBurnie dedicated numerous hours to searching for Beans without success, following his disappearance from their Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, home in late October. Weeks afterward, the couple were surprised to get a phone call from the charity Cats Protection, which informed them that the ginger and white cat had been identified via his microchip in the West Midlands, having been found sleeping in an outdoor cat box. The owners stated they had “no idea” how Beans traveled south of the border, following their 600-mile round trip to retrieve him. Ms McBurnie, 40, mentioned that Beans enjoys being outside and in gardens, and had left the house as usual on the day he went missing. She stated: “We searched and searched, looking everywhere. I’ve been out every day looking but thought something must have happened to him.”I didn’t really expect to see him again but joined lots of local lost-and-found Facebook pages, then further afield in Scotland.”I didn’t think to look in England, I didn’t imagine he could have gone that far.” Kelly Ryan observed Beans, noting a cat “hanging around” an outdoor cat box. Ms. Ryan reported seeing him sleeping in the box one night, and he reappeared the subsequent evening. Subsequently, Ms Ryan posted on Facebook, growing concerned that the cat might be lost. She was then contacted by Cats Protection, which dispatched a volunteer to verify and scan his microchip. Ms Ryan commented: “I didn’t feed him straight away as I thought he was probably owned, then one night saw him sleeping in the cat box and he was still there the next day, then the one after that.”I just gave him a few biscuits to start with but heard he was going to visit other neighbours too and it felt like he was around too much and that something wasn’t quite right.””I was so relieved when he had a chip and a loving family who had registered him as missing.” Cats Protection contacted the owners, who then prepared their car for the journey. Ms McBurnie expressed being “shocked and relieved” upon discovering Beans was not only alive but also appeared grateful to return home. She recounted: “When we got him back, we let him out in the car for a cuddle then put him back in his carrier for the long journey.” “We were all exhausted and he slept in the bed all night by my husband. Even my other cat, Missy, was happy to see him – they usually keep a bit of a distance but had a nice moment and a sniff together.” “I’m so glad we had him microchipped and updated his record. There’s no way he’d have come back to us otherwise.” Madison Rogers, associate director of advocacy, campaigns and external affairs for Cats Protection, commented: “It’s a real testament to the power of the microchip that Beans could be reunited with his owners just 24 hours after being scanned.” “Without a chip it’s unlikely Beans would ever have found his way back to the family who love him so much.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.