A WINCHESTER family found a happy ending after their pet went missing for more than a week to go back to his old home.

Stanley went missing from his house in Northbrook Avenue, St Giles Hill, on November 12. His owners, the Lockwood family, were “heartbroken” by his disappearance. The family of four paced the streets and plastered the area with posters to find their beloved Stan, a rescue cat aged nine.

Mother and former journalist and TV producer, Rebecca Lockwood, was awoken just over a week later at 7am on Sunday, November 20 with a message from previous neighbours saying “Is Stan still missing… Is this him?”

The Lockwoods had moved two and half years ago from the property in Clifton Hill so were surprised to see that their home-orientated cat had travelled nearly two miles away, presumably across main roads, the centre of town and perhaps Winnall Moors.

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Stanley’s former neighbours were in shock to find their feline friend who was so insistent he was home that he tried to wrap himself around their legs and get inside their car.

Rebecca, 46, said: “I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t only Stanley but Stanley in really good form. It was the best day ever, we went to pick him up and ended up having a really big reunion with old neighbours."

Hampshire Chronicle:

Before the cat was found, happy and healthy, the family feared for his safety after a week of searching and torrential rain.

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The Winchester residents were joined by neighbours to trace what they thought was Stanley’s territory around Alresford Road, St Giles Hill, Quarry Road and the local estate, getting to know the whole community better in the process.

The mother of two added: “It was awful. It’s the worst thing with a pet. The whole family was so sad because he’s not the kind of cat who disappears and we didn’t know if he was suffering.

 “We’re going to attach a GPS to his collar and I can’t wait to see what he does. To know what happened to him would be amazing but it will forever be a mystery. He’s now grounded as his homing instinct must be all over the place. But it’s a proper happy ending like in story books.”