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A cat belonging to a family of five, who was missing for six years, was found by the RSPCA after moving 10,500 miles to Australia.
Lisa Gregory, 45, who lived in Kentish Town, London, with her husband James and their three children Mia, Jed and Ostyn, lost her pet Tallulah when she was 18 months old.
After she left and didn’t come home, the Gregorys did “everything” to find Tallualh, putting up flyers around town, calling their neighbors’ doors and consult with the local veterinarian.
The family assumed their cat was dead and mourned its loss before migrating to Sydney a year later in 2018.
But Lisa was shocked when she received an email from the RSPCA after Tallulah was found near her old home.
The cat of a family of five (above), who went missing for six years, was found by the RSPCA after they moved 10,500 miles away to Australia.
They now face a £2,000 bill and a year’s wait for her to come live with them.
Lisa said: ‘I couldn’t believe it. Lo and behold, I woke up to an email from the RSPCA saying they have our cat.
‘Tallulah has a microchip and they tried to contact me on the registered phone number.
But now I have another number. They’ve even put notes across the door, but we obviously don’t live there anymore.
“I was still in disbelief and asked them to send a photo and of course it’s Tallulah.”
Lisa and James, 57, parents to Mia 15, Jed 13 and Ostyn 12, inherited it from their sister Diana.
She added: ‘She lived with us for 18 months. We had three small children and they all loved her very much.
“She was a lovely kitten that the kids could pick up. But she was very motivated by food and one day she just didn’t come home.
Mia, Ostyn, Lisa and Jed with their cat Tallulah. Lisa said that she was a very friendly kitty and that she didn’t mind the kids picking her up.
The Gregorys did ‘everything’ to find Tallualh, posting flyers around town, knocking on their neighbors’ doors and consulting with the local vet (Pictured: Tallulah with Ostyn when the cat was one year old)
I think it had been fed by someone else. I think they just held her and didn’t let her out of it.
The Greogrys aren’t sure what to do now, as Tallulah would need successful blood tests and then a period of quarantine.
‘During that time, we were planning to go to Australia and take her with us. We mourned our loss and assumed that she was lost or died, we just didn’t know.
It was sad for the children, she was a beautiful family pet. We last saw her in 2017. We moved to Australia in 2018, settled in Sydney and had a dog.
Lisa was shocked when she received an email from the RSPCA after Tallulah was found near her old home (pictured: from left to right are Ostyn, Mia, James, Lisa and Jed)
Tallulah as a kitten snuggled up to her mom Hazel when she was eight weeks old
Tallulah in 2017 just before her disappearance. Her owners tried everything to find her, putting up signs and contacting the local vet.
‘We are still undecided. She is now seven and a half years old and the whole process of bringing a cat to Australia can take up to 12 months.
“It’s a lot of money, about £2,000 and it will take eight and a half years before we get it.”
The other option is for her to live with Diana, who raised her where she will be this weekend.
“We plan to FaceTime and reconnect that way and decide what’s best for her.
‘The RSPCA has been very helpful. She is a beautiful cat and she has warmed the hearts of the staff there.”