Cat missing for 2 weeks finally found 30 miles away at McDonald’s

Chewie the fluffy white and grey cat
-Credit:SWNS


A pedigree cat has finally been reunited with his owner after disappearing for nearly two weeks and being discovered at a McDonald's over 30 miles away. Chewie, a Norwegian Forest Cat, had been missing from his home in Billericay, Essex, for 11 days before he was found at the fast food restaurant just North of London.

The ravenous eight year old moggy was seen by McDonald's staff in Shenley, Herts., nonchalantly strolling around the car park. The employees took in the stray cat - whom they affectionately dubbed Big Mac - before contacting local cat protection services.

Meanwhile, Chewie's owner, Sophie Morrish, had been desperately searching for her cherished pet, oblivious to his burger run. It's thought that the adventurous feline may have hitched a ride in someone's vehicle to get so far from home - but once found, Chewie and Ms Morrish were finally reunited.

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Chewie sitting in an armchair
Chewie is safe and well after his big adventure -Credit:SWNS

On Saturday evening (January 25), staff at the McDonald's in London Colney, Herts. - located next to the M25 motorway on a bustling roundabout - were alerted to a cat wandering the car park and approaching customers. They brought fluffy Chewie into the small back office, aptly naming him 'Big Mac', and contacted a volunteer from St Albans and District Cats Protection, who collected the cat.

As the greedy cat happily munched on some food, staff identified his name through his microchip and discovered he was a Norwegian Forest Cat registered to an address in Billericay, Essex - over an hour's drive away. Chewie's owner, Ms Morrish, had been frantically searching the local area for her missing cat for 11 days - but once found, volunteers managed to reunite Chewie with his owner within a few hours.

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The team at St Albans and District Cats Protection speculated that while they may never know how Chewie ended up so far from home, his short and scuffed claws suggested he might have been trapped in a van or lorry for some time. Jo Weaver, from Cats Protection St Albans, emphasised the importance of microchipping cats, a practice made compulsory last year with owners now facing a £500 fine for non-compliance.

Ms Weaver said: "Thanks to his microchip we were able to get Chewie reunited with his family in just two and a half hours. We were so pleased to be able to get him home to his family, it was understandably a tearful reunion. We will probably never know how he travelled such a distance."

She continued: "This case really shows how important microchips can be in getting lost cats home. We’re often called to assist with lost or stray cats; if they’re not microchipped we do our best to try and trace an owner through social media and leafleting but it’s unlikely our appeals would reach as far as Essex. Thanks to his microchip, Chewie was able to get back to where he belonged."

Richard Forte, the franchisee at the London Colney McDonald's, said the firm was "incredibly proud of the restaurant team for going above and beyond" and for "reuniting Chewie with his grateful owner and creating a purrrfect happy ending".

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