Edinburgh firm Eagle Couriers rescue lost tabby cat Sampson after he is found in Plymouth – 500 miles from home

By JENNA RAFFAELLI

A LONG lost cat has been found more than a year after he went missing – almost 500 miles away from his home.

Sampson, a large white and brown tabby cat, was handed into a vet centre in Plymouth, Devon – 478 miles away from his home in Penicuik, Midlothian.

The marauding moggie was identified by a microchip in his skin to the delight of owner Linda Jansen, the Assistant Science Curator at the National Library of Scotland, who will finally to be reunited with her beloved tabby tomorrow.

FOUND: Sampson

Overjoyed Linda, 45, said: “We thought we would never see him again but then on Sunday I got a call from a veterinary surgery in Plymouth.

“At first I was sceptical about whether or not it was him.

“But when the vet described him to me, I knew it was Sampson.”

Sanctuary

Linda and her two daughters Kirsten, 12, and Lauren, 16, told how they first rescued Sampson from a cat sanctuary in the Borders and discovered he was a loveable animal.

The cat spent hours watching people from the balcony and became a firm member of the family before he disappeared in March 2008, sparking a desperate hunt to find him.

He was last seen lounging in the garden when Linda had gone to work but when she returned, he was nowhere to be found.

Linda said: “He was such a character and really was the man of the house. It was so strange when he went missing and we couldn’t find him.”

The unluckiest cat in the world

Spud with his owners Kevin Stickings and his son

By Alexander Lawrie
A MISCHEVIOUS tabby has been dubbed “the unluckiest cat in the world” after a cat-alogue of mishaps – including coming back from the dead.

Ten year-old Spud has been granted a premature funeral after being wrongly identified as roadkill, endured a catnapping when someone mistakenly believed he was theirs and was stuck for hours after plummeting 20 ft down into a cold, dark basement.

The mischievous puss is now feline a lot better after his owner decided to keep him home after his latest adventure.

Kevin Stickings, 39, from Dunfermline, Fife, is convinced his moggy has used up almost all of his nine lives because he is so inquisitive.

He said: “Poor Spud must be the unluckiest cat in the world. The amount of trauma he has gone through in the past few years has been unbelievable.

“He can’t help himself – when he sees something he’s interested in he just goes for it.”

Three years ago Spud disappeared for four days and the distraught family eventually started ringing round local vets fearing the worst.

One vet said they had just had a dead cat handed in which matched Spud’s description.

Kevin said: “We went along to identify him and really thought it was Spud, the cat was so like him. So, I paid the £50 to have him cremated and then went home to tell my wee boy the bad news.

“Incredibly, two days later I opened the back door and there he was proud as punch – I just couldn’t believe it.”

And last year unlucky Spud was cat-napped by a woman who mistook him for her own and drove him to her house ten miles away.

The dad-of-two said: “We couldn’t believe it when he went AWOL for days again and we all thought he was gone for good this time. It was days before we heard where he had got to.

“Incredibly, a lady had spotted him in the street and thought he was hers – he was the spitting image seemingly.

“She lives ten miles away and as soon as she opened the car door outside her house he just bolted.

“Luckily some friends in the area spotted him a few days later and we managed to get him back.

“Although, now I’m not sure if he’s got many of his nine lives left.”

And just last week, the ten-year-old puss was at it again after being left helpless for hours after plummeting 20 feet down into a dark, damp basement.

Luckily a passing shop worker heard his pitiful cries and raised the alarm.

The Scottish SPCA managed to rescue Spud before taking him back to their nearby headquarters.

Kieran Smart, a Scottish SPCA driver, said: “I received a call from Kevin and asked him to identify the cat. He was able to describe his appearance as well as some distinguishing marks including a scar on his chin and a kink in the tip of his tail.

“I’m just glad we are able to reunite this very lucky cat with his owner.”

Little Emily’s kitty poisoned to death

Tigger the unlucky tabby in happier times

By Cara Sulieman

 

A FIVE-year-old girl has been left heartbroken after her beloved cat was sickeningly poisoned to death.

Little Emily Rhodes spent three days thinking her cat Tigger had simply gone missing.

But he was found wailing in pain in a neighbour’s garden and died from suspected poisoning, despite the help of Scottish SPCA experts.

Not knowing who the cat belonged to, the neighbours gave Tigger over to the animal rescue officers, who cremated him before the Rhodes family had the chance to say goodbye.

Sue Rhodes, 36, and husband Chris, 32, posted fliers all over East Linton on Sunday the seven-year-old moggy failed to come home.

Then a couple on their street broke the news that a cat had died in their back garden the Friday before.

Hearing it screaming with pain, the pair had called the SSPCA who were unable to save the feline. With no tag, the charity went ahead and cremated the unlucky tabby.

But little Emily is putting on a brave face, as Sue, a staff nurse, explained: “She’s been really good about it. I’ve been more upset. I couldn’t say a word on Monday without bursting into tears.

“Emily did say ‘Mummy, I’m quite sad about Tigger.'”

The tomcat had no obvious injuries and the family is certain he was poisoned because there was an unusual amount of saliva around his mouth.

Now Sue wants to warn people about the dangers of putting poison down in their gardens.

She said: “The SSPCA said it would have been a short death but it must have been an extremely painful. I’m worried that our other cat, Blackie, will eat something too.

Emily with her beloved kitty

“I’m just so angry about the way he died. If Tigger had been hit by a car then that’s unavoidable, but there was no need for him to die like this. It must have been horrendous.

“People need to be aware of the danger they are putting cats and animals in when they use things like rat poison.

“I suggested keeping her in the house but it would just drive her mad. As my husband said, it’s better he has a short happy life than long miserable one.”

A spokeswoman for the SSPCA confirmed that Tigger’s symptoms may have been the result of poisoning, but warned that they couldn’t know for sure as no post mortem was carried out.

SSPCA Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said: “Cats that have been hit by vehicles can foam at the mouth as a result of their internal injuries.

“It is very upsetting when a much loved pet passes away, particularly when it happens suddenly.”